| Retired Armed Forces Officers' Welfare Association | |
| Formation: | 1982 |
| Headquarters: | Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Region Served: | Bangladesh |
| Language: | Bengali |
| Website: | Retired Armed Forces Officers' Welfare Association |
The Retired Armed Forces Officers' Welfare Association or RAOWA,[1] is an association for the welfare of retired armed forces officers in Bangladesh.
It was formed by members of two defunct organization Defence Officers' Retired Association (founded in 1960s) and Ex-Defence Officers (founded in 1974 by Lieutenant Colonel Hesamuddin Ahmed) on 18 June 1982.[2] The Retired Armed Officers Welfare Association Club is located in Bangladesh.[3] The government of Bangladesh in an agreement with the association decided to import 5000 taxi cabs in 2013, which would only be driven by retired armed forces personnel.[4] Major General Alauddin MA Wadud (Retd) is the current president of the association.[5] Major General Kamruzzaman (Retd); Commodore Khurshid Malik (Retd); and Air Commodore Anisur Rahman (Retd) are the vice-chairman of the club for the year of 2021–2022.[6] Lieutenant Colonel Kamrul Islam (Retd) is the new secretary general of RAOWA.[7] RAOWA club is located in Mohakhali DOHS, Dhaka Bangladesh.[8]
On 22 December 2020, the managing body of RAOWA club was dismissed by the Department of Social Welfare and replaced with servicing officer and civilian bureaucrats. The Ministry of Defense send a letter to RAOWA directing changes to the body including the selection of top three management positions rather than direct elections.[9] The Daily Star described the incident as a "sad day for RAOWA". This followed the RAOWA calling for an investigation into the murder of Sinha Md Rashed Khan, a retired army major.[10]