Bangladesh Armed Forces Explained

Bangladesh Armed Forces
Native Name:Bengali: বাংলাদেশ সশস্ত্র বাহিনী
Bengali: Bangladesh Shoshostro Bahinī
Motto:Bengali: চির উন্নত মম শির
Branches:

Headquarters:Armed Forces Division Headquarters, Dhaka Cantonment
Website: -
Commander-In-Chief: President Mohammed Shahabuddin
Commander-In-Chief Title:Commander-in-Chief
Chief Minister: Prime Minister Vacant
Chief Minister Title:Minister of Defence
Chief Of Staff: Lt. Gen. Vacant
Chief Of Staff Title:Principal Staff Officer
Age:18 years
Conscription:No[1]
Active:204,000[2]
Amount:6.995 billion USD (2024)
Percent Gdp:1.5% (2024)
History:Bangladesh War of Liberation
1972-1975 Bangladesh insurgency
Chittagong Hill Tracts Insurgency
Gulf War
Operation Clean Heart
Ranks:Military ranks of Bangladesh

The Bangladesh Armed Forces (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ সশস্ত্র বাহিনী|Bānlādēśa saśastra bāhinī) are the military forces of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. They consist of the three uniformed military services: the Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Navy and the Bangladesh Air Force. The Armed Forces are under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Defence of the Government of Bangladesh, and are directly administered by the Armed Forces Division of the Prime Minister's Office.[3] The President of Bangladesh serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh has the third-largest defence budget in South Asia, The Bangladeshi military is the 37th strongest in the world and the third most powerful military force in South Asia.[4] Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs.[5] during peacetime, but during wartime they fall under the command of Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy respectively.

Military policy is formulated and executed by the Armed Forces Division (AFD) whereas the Ministry of Defence (MoD) does not exercise any operational or policy authority over the Armed Forces. Since independence, the AFD and MoD has been led by the Prime Minister. To coordinate military policy with foreign and intelligence policy, both the president and the prime minister are advised by a six-member advisory board which consists of the three military services' Chiefs of Staff, the Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, and military secretaries to the president and the prime minister. The directors general of the NSI, the DGFI and the BGB also serve in an advisory capacity, when invited.[6] [7]

Armed Forces Day is observed on 21 November and commemorates the founding of the three services of the Armed Forces who subsequently initiated a joint military operation against the occupying Pakistani Army during the Bangladesh Liberation War.[8] [9] Official functions are held across the country including at Bangabhaban, the Armed Forces Division Headquarters at Dhaka Cantonment, all military cantonments and at every military installation throughout the Bangladesh.[10]

History

See main article: Military history of Bangladesh.

Eastern wing of Pakistan

See also: East Bengal Regiment. With the partitioning of India on August 15, 1947, the territory constituting modern Bangladesh was partitioned from the province of Bengal as East Bengal, joining the newly created state of Pakistan. Ethnic and sectional discrimination prevailed in all sectors of the state. Like other government sectors, Bengalis were under-represented in the Pakistani military too. Officers of Bengali origin in the different wings of the armed forces made up just 5% of overall force by 1965.[11] West Pakistanis believed that Bengalis were not "martially inclined" unlike Pashtuns and Punjabis; the "Martial Races" notion was dismissed as ridiculous and humiliating by Bengalis. Moreover, despite huge defence spending, East Pakistan received none of the benefits, such as contracts, purchasing and military support jobs. The Indo-Pakistani War of 1965 over Kashmir also highlighted the sense of military insecurity among Bengalis as only an under-strength infantry division and 15 combat aircraft without tank support were in East Pakistan to repel any Indian retaliations during the conflict.[12] [13]

The East Bengal Regiment was formed on 15 February 1948 following Pakistan's independence and transition from post British rule, composed exclusively of men from the western part of the country. The first East Bengal Regiment was composed of Bengali members of the British Indian Army Pioneer Corps and Bihar Regiment of the abolished British-Indian army. Between 1948 and 1965, a total of eight battalions of EBR were raised.[14] [15]

Bangladesh Liberation War

See main article: Bangladesh Liberation War. Following the victory of the Awami League in the 1970 elections, then-president General Yahya Khan refused to appoint its leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as the prime minister and launched a brutal attack named Operation Searchlight on the civilians of the then East Pakistan, using the Pakistan Army to repress political movements.[16] The number of people killed by Pakistani forces vary from a minimum of around 300,000 to a maximum of around 3 million.[17] [18] Responding to Mujib's call for rebellion, many students, workers and other civilians mutinied against Pakistan and raised the Mukti Bahini, a guerrilla force. Later on, many Bengali officers and units from the Pakistan Army and East Pakistan Rifles mutinied against their West Pakistani counterparts and joined the Mukti Bahini.[19] [20] [21] On 17 April 1971, M. A. G Osmani took oath as the commander-in-chief of Mukti Bahini. While the war raged on, the necessity of a well-trained armed force was always felt. During the first Bangladesh Sector Commanders Conference, held from 11 to 17 July 1971, the Bangladesh Forces started its journey composed of the revolting Bengali members of the Pakistan Army and EPR.[22] In this historic conference the field command structure, sector reorganization, reinforcement, appointment of field commanders and tactics of warfare were decided upon and carried out. On 21 November 1971, the Bangladesh Forces was divided into three separate services as Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force.

The Bangladesh Forces received modest assistance from the Indian Government soon after the start of the war.[23] On 3 December 1971, the India-Pakistan war broke out and Indian troops entered Bangladesh allied with the Bangladesh Armed Forces.[24] On 16 December 1971, the Pakistani military surrendered to the joint Indian and Bangladesh forces.[25]

Post-independence

See also: Military coups in Bangladesh and Chittagong Hill Tracts Conflict. The newly formed Bangladeshi armed forces incorporated some of the units and guerrillas of the Mukti Bahini.[26] Gen. Osmani, who had led the Mukti Bahini was appointed the General of the Bangladesh armed forces.[27] For many years, there was active discrimination in favour of the inductees from the Mukti Bahini against those Bengali officers who had continued service in the Pakistani armed forces or had been detained in West Pakistan.[26] [28] A group of angered officers assassinated the president Sheikh Mujib on 15 August 1975 and established a regime with politician Khondaker Mostaq Ahmed as President of Bangladesh and new army chief Maj. Gen. Ziaur Rahman.[28] The military itself was subject of divisions as Mujib's assassins were overthrown by the pro-Mujib Brig. Gen. Khaled Mosharraf on 3 November, who himself was soon overthrown by a socialist group of officers under Col. Abu Taher on 7 November who returned Ziaur Rahman to power—an event now called the Sipoy-Janata Biplob (Soldiers and People's Coup).[29] Under the presidency of Ziaur Rahman, the military was reorganised to remove conflicts between rival factions and discontented cadre.[30] However, Ziaur Rahman was himself overthrown in a 1981 coup attempt,[31] and a year later, Lt. Gen. Hossain Mohammad Ershad took power from the elected government of president Abdus Sattar. The military remained the most important force in national politics under the regimes of Ziaur Rahman and later Hossain Mohammad Ershad until democracy was restored in 1991.[30]

Modern period

See also: Bangladesh UN Peacekeeping Force. Having relied primarily on India and the Soviet Union for military aid, Bangladesh has also developed military ties with the People's Republic of China and the United States. The Bangladesh Army has been actively involved in United Nations Peace Support Operations (UNPSO). During the first Gulf War in 1991, the Bangladesh Army sent a 2,193 member team to monitor peace in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. The Bangladesh Army also participated in peace keeping activities in Namibia, Cambodia, Somalia, Uganda, Rwanda, Mozambique, former Yugoslavia, Liberia, Haiti, Tajikistan, Western Sahara, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Georgia, East Timor, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire and Ethiopia. As of October 2008, Bangladesh remained the second largest contributor with 9,800 troops in the UN Peacekeeping forces.

Until a peace accord was signed in 1997, the Bangladeshi military engaged in counterinsurgency operations in the Chittagong Hill Tracts fighting the Shanti Bahini separatist group. In 2001, Bangladeshi military units engaged in clashes with the Indian Border Security Force (BSF) along the northern border.[32]

Several projects and schemes aiming to expand and modernize the Bangladeshi armed forces were launched by the government of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia.

Forces Goal 2030 was launched by the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to secure new equipment for the Bangladeshi military.

Bangladesh-Myanmar border

Standoffs have occasionally occurred at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, including in 1991 and 2008. Most of the standoffs took place, when Myanmar attempted to force Rohingyas into Bangladesh. In 2008, the two countries deployed warships after Myanmar attempted to explore a disputed Bay of Bengal seabed for oil and gas. The dispute was resolved at an international tribunal in 2012. Bangladesh and Myanmar have also conducted counter-insurgency operations on the border.

Medals and decorations

See main article: Military awards and decorations of Bangladesh. The following are the various gallantry, service and war medals of the Bangladesh Armed Forces.[33] [34] [35] [36] [37]

Gallantry awards

Service medals

Current deployments

Bangladesh has consistently made large contributions to United Nations peacekeeping operations. As of May 2007, Bangladesh had major deployments in Democratic Republic of Congo, Liberia, Lebanon, Sudan, Timor-Leste and Côte d'Ivoire.[38] With 10,736 troops deployed, it ranks first in personnel contributions to UN peacekeeping.[39] The government declined to participate in Iraq on a request from the United States. The deployment to Liberia began in October 2003 and has remained at a level of about 3,200 who are participating in peacekeeping, charitable activities and infrastructure development.

Training

Officers are trained and educated for three years at the Bangladesh Military Academy, Bhatiary, Bangladesh Naval Academy at Patenga, both located in Chittagong and Bangladesh Air Force Academy located in Jessore. For advance training during their career, officers are sent to Bangladesh Defence Services Command and Staff College at Mirpur, while senior officers attend the National Defense University for Armed Forces War Course. Many attend the Military Institute of Science and Technology while serving. Officers of the Army Medical Corps are recruited after graduation from both military or civil medical colleges. They undergo basic military training at Bangladesh Military Academy followed by professional training in medical corps centre and Armed Forces Medical Institute. Recently cadets of Armed Forces Medical College also started joining the services directly.[40]

Ranks

See main article: Military ranks of Bangladesh. Bangladeshi military ranks, essentially corresponds to those used by the armed forces of the commonwealth nations.

The rank insignia for commissioned officers for the Armed forces respectively.

Organization

Regular forces

Para-military forces

Civil forces and reserves

Specialized forces

Military districts

Dhaka Cantonment

Educational and training institutes

Artillery Centre and School, Halishahar, Chittagong.

Training institutes of Bangladesh Air Force

Training Institutes of Bangladesh Navy

Army Cantonments

Cantonments are where Bangladesh Army personnel work, train, and live.[44]

Air Force bases

Navy bases

Future modernisation plans

See main article: Forces Goal 2030.

Bangladesh has made a long term modernisation plan for its Armed Forces named Forces Goal 2030.[46] The plan includes the modernization and expansion of all equipment and infrastructures and providing enhanced training.[46]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: South Asia :: Bangladesh — The World Factbook. un.org. CIA. 24 January 2021. 30 July 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210730024842/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/bangladesh/. live.
  2. Web site: প্রতিবেদক . নিজস্ব . 2017-06-08 . bn:সশস্ত্রবাহিনীর মোট সদস্য সংখ্যা দুই লাখ চার হাজার ৫৯৬ জন . The total number of members of the armed forces is 2 lakh 4 thousand 596 people . https://www.bd-pratidin.com/news/2017/06/08/238362 . 2024-06-12 . বাংলাদেশ প্রতিদিন . bn . আইনমন্ত্রী আনিসুল হক বলেছেন, সশস্ত্র বাহিনীর মোট সদস্য সংখ্যা বর্তমানে দুই লাখ চার হাজার ৫৯৬ জন। এর মধ্যে ১ লাখ ৬২ হাজার ১২৫ জন সেনাবাহিনী। ২৫ হাজার ৮১ জন নৌবাহিনীর এবং ১৭ হাজার ৩৯০ জন বিমান বাহিনীর সদস্য। . Law Minister Anisul Haque said that the total number of members of the armed forces is currently two lakh four thousand 596. Among them 1 lakh 62 thousand 125 soldiers. 25 thousand 81 members of Navy and 17 thousand 390 members of Air Force..
  3. Web site: About AFD . 2021-12-31 . . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20190830072058/http://www.afd.gov.bd:80/about-afd . 30 August 2019.
  4. News: 15 January 2024 . Bangladesh ranks 37th in military power . risingbd.com.
  5. Web site: Ministry of Home Affairs | Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh . mha.gov.bd . 16 December 1971 . 21 May 2013 . 15 August 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230815172719/http://www.mha.gov.bd/ . live .
  6. News: Hasina attends office at Armed Forces Division. 15 January 2009. The Daily Star. 3 October 2017. en. 3 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171003224951/http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-71355. live.
  7. News: Lt Gen Mahfuzur new principal staff officer of Armed Forces Division. 3 February 2016. The Daily Star. 3 October 2017. en. 11 August 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170811055758/http://www.thedailystar.net/city/lt-gen-mahfuzur-new-principal-staff-officer-armed-forces-division-211615. live.
  8. News: 20 November 2002. Govt will continue efforts to modernise armed forces: PM. Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. https://web.archive.org/web/20070928121312/http://www.bssnews.net/index.php?genID=BSS-01-2002-11-20&id=7. 28 September 2007.
  9. News: Armed Forces Day today. 21 November 2015. The Daily Star. 3 October 2017. en. 3 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171003224915/http://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/armed-forces-day-today-175651. live.
  10. News: Significance of Armed Forces Day. 22 November 2009. The Daily Star. 3 October 2017. en. 3 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171003224927/http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-115138. live.
  11. Book: 1989 . Heitzman . James . Worden . Robert . Pakistan Era . Bangladesh: A Country Study . https://www.loc.gov/item/89600298/ . Washington, D.C. . Federal Research Division, Library of Congress . 207 . 23 March 2020 . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404171656/http://www.loc.gov/item/89600298/ . live .
  12. Web site: Demons of December — Road from East Pakistan to Bangladesh . 23 March 2020 . 9 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110609122558/http://www.defencejournal.com/2002/dec/demons.htm . dead.
  13. Book: Jahan, Rounaq . Rounaq Jahan . 1972 . Pakistan: Failure in National Integration . Columbia University Press . 166–167 . 0-231-03625-6.
  14. News: Maj Abdul Gani. 11 November 2014. The Daily Star. 6 October 2016. 5 October 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161005201423/http://www.thedailystar.net/maj-abdul-gani-49729. live.
  15. Web site: The 1965 War: A view from the east. Rediff.com. 2017-12-13. 28 May 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170528204404/http://www.rediff.com/news/2005/oct/05war.htm. live.
  16. Bose . Sarmila . 8 October 2005 . Anatomy of Violence: Analysis of Civil War in East Pakistan in 1971 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20070301084941/http://www.epw.org.in/showArticles.php?root=2005&leaf=10&filename=9223&filetype=html . 1 March 2007.
  17. Matthew White's Death Tolls for the Major Wars and Atrocities of the Twentieth Century
  18. http://www.virtualbangladesh.com/history/holocaust.html Virtual Bangladesh : History : The Bangali Genocide, 1971
  19. Book: 1989 . Heitzman . James . Worden . Robert . Zia's regime . http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/21.htm . Bangladesh: A Country Study . Washington, D.C. . Federal Research Division, Library of Congress . 37–40 . 23 March 2020 . 22 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110622211513/http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/21.htm . live .
  20. Book: Ahmed, Helal Uddin . 2012 . Mukti Bahini . http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Mukti_Bahini . Islam . Sirajul . Sirajul Islam . Jamal . Ahmed A. . Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh . Second . . 23 March 2020 . 3 July 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150703125630/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Mukti_Bahini . live .
  21. Book: Uddin, Syed Mohd. Saleh . 2012 . Bangladesh Air Force . http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangladesh_Air_Force . Islam . Sirajul . Sirajul Islam . Jamal . Ahmed A. . Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh . Second . . 23 March 2020 . 28 December 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201228092411/http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Bangladesh_Air_Force . live .
  22. Web site: Bangladesh War of Independence . www.bengalrenaissance.com . 2017-10-03 . https://web.archive.org/web/20171226034525/http://www.bengalrenaissance.com/war.html . 2017-12-26.
  23. News: Unfinished agenda of the Liberation War. 2016-03-26. The Daily Star. 2017-10-03. en. 3 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171003225605/http://www.thedailystar.net/op-ed/politics/unfinished-agenda-the-liberation-war-1199692. live.
  24. News: The Tangail Landings: A signal for victory. 2015-03-26. The Daily Star. 2017-10-03. en. 4 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171004041040/http://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/independence-day-special-2015/the-tangail-landings-signal-victory-73754. live.
  25. News: Witnessing the surrender. 2012-12-16. The Daily Star. 2017-10-03. en. 4 October 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20171004035335/http://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-261277. live.
  26. Book: 1989 . Heitzman . James . Worden . Robert . Postindependence Period . Bangladesh: A Country Study . https://www.loc.gov/item/89600298/ . Washington, D.C. . Federal Research Division, Library of Congress . 211 . 23 March 2020 . 4 April 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404171656/http://www.loc.gov/item/89600298/ . live .
  27. Book: Khan, Muazzam Hussain . 2012 . Osmany, General Mohammad Ataul Ghani . http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Osmany,_General_Mohammad_Ataul_Ghani . Islam . Sirajul . Sirajul Islam . Jamal . Ahmed A. . Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh . Second . . 23 March 2020 . 17 June 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210617084932/https://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Osmany,_General_Mohammad_Ataul_Ghani . live .
  28. Book: 1989 . Heitzman . James . Worden . Robert . Mujib coup . http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/19.htm . Bangladesh: A Country Study . Washington, D.C. . Federal Research Division, Library of Congress . 32–36 . 23 March 2020 . 22 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110622211513/http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/21.htm . live .
  29. Islam . Syed Serajul . May 1984 . The State in Bangladesh under Zia (1975–81) . Asian Survey . University of California Press . 24 . 5 . 556–573 . 2644413 . 10.2307/2644413.
  30. Book: 1989 . Heitzman . James . Worden . Robert . Restoration of Military Rule . http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/20.htm . Bangladesh: A Country Study . Washington, D.C. . Federal Research Division, Library of Congress . 36–37 . 23 March 2020 . 22 June 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110622211513/http://countrystudies.us/bangladesh/21.htm . live .
  31. Bangladesh: Death at Night . https://web.archive.org/web/20070930092059/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,922557,00.html . dead . 30 September 2007 . . 8 June 1981 . 10 September 2006 . subscription.
  32. News: India-Bangladesh border conflict . 18 April 2001 . BBC News . 23 March 2020 . 20 October 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141020102522/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/1283068.stm . live .
  33. Web site: ODM of Bangladesh: Ribbon Chart . Medals of the World . 15 December 2015 . 4 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304080255/http://www.medals.org.uk/bangladesh/bangladesh-ribbons.htm . live .
  34. Web site: Text List of Ribbons . Medals of the World . 15 December 2015 . 4 March 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304062235/http://www.medals.org.uk/bangladesh/bangladesh-text.htm . live .
  35. Web site: Orders, Decorations and Medals of Bangladesh . Jean-Paul LeBlanc . https://web.archive.org/web/20140730020413/http://www.jeanpaulleblanc.com/Bangladesh.htm . 2014-07-30.
  36. Web site: Medals . 14 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140701131213/http://www.army.mil.bd/node/7 . 1 July 2014. Army Medal Lists: Official
  37. Web site: Asian Medals: Bangladesh . Militaria . 15 December 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222162610/http://www.coleccionesmilitares.com/cintas/asia/bangladesh.gif . 22 December 2015.
  38. https://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/contributors/2007/may07_3.pdf UN Mission's Summary detailed by Country
  39. https://www.un.org/Depts/dpko/dpko/contributors/2007/may07_2.pdf Ranking of Military and Police Contributions to UN Operations
  40. Web site: National Defence College . Bangladesharmy.org . 21 May 2013 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20070929010618/http://www.bangladesharmy.org/newahq/index5.php?category=49 . 29 September 2007.
  41. Web site: Armoured Corps Center & School . www.army.mil.bd . Bangladesh Army . 14 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140714161810/http://www.army.mil.bd/node/77 . 14 July 2014.
  42. Book: Singh, Ravi Shekhar Narain . 2005 . Asian Strategic and Military Perspective . New Delhi . Lancer Publishers . 25 . 817062245X.
  43. News: BSMR aviation and aerospace university bill passed . The Daily Star . 1 March 2019 . 1 March 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190301140137/https://www.thedailystar.net/city/news/bsmr-aviation-and-aerospace-university-bill-passed-1708705 . live .
  44. Web site: Cantonment Locations . www.joinbangladesharmy.mil.bd . Bangladesh Army . 14 July 2014 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150618152955/http://www.joinbangladesharmy.mil.bd/about-army/cantonment-locations . 18 June 2015.
  45. Web site: Bangladesh Navy Bases . Bangladesh Navy . https://web.archive.org/web/20190527111317/http://www.navy.mil.bd/bases.php . 27 May 2019.
  46. News: Forces Goal 2030 to be implemented in four phases: PM. New Age. 28 February 2013. 15 March 2014. 15 March 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140315101328/http://newagebd.com/detail.php?date=2013-02-28&nid=41420#.UyPtsT-SxnM. dead.