Bangladesh Armed Forces

Bangladesh Armed Forces
বাংলাদেশ সশস্ত্র বাহিনী
Bāṅlādēś Sôśôstrô Bāhinī
Crest of Bangladesh Armed Forces
Flag of Bangladesh Armed Forces
Mottoচির উন্নত মম শির (de facto)
("Ever High is My Head")
Founded21 November 1971; 53 years ago (1971-11-21)
Current form12 January 1972; 52 years ago (1972-01-12)
Service branches Bangladesh Army
 Bangladesh Navy
 Bangladesh Air Force
HeadquartersArmed Forces Division Headquarters, Dhaka Cantonment
Websiteafd.gov.bd - ispr.gov.bd
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief President Mohammed Shahabuddin
Minister of Defence Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus
Principal Staff Officer Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan
Personnel
Military age18 years
ConscriptionNo[1]
Reaching military
age annually		3,176,505[2]
Active personnel204,000[3][4]
Deployed personnel10,736 for United Nations peacekeeping
Expenditure
Budget6.995 billion USD (2024)
Percent of GDP1.5% (2024)
Industry
Domestic suppliers
List
Foreign suppliers China
 Russia
 Turkey
 United States
 United Kingdom
 France
 Czech Republic
Annual importsUS$754 million (2011–2020)
Related articles
History
RanksMilitary ranks of Bangladesh
Bangladesh Army during Victory Day Parade 2011

The Bangladesh Armed Forces (Bengali: বাংলাদেশ সশস্ত্র বাহিনী, romanized: Bāṅlādēś Sôśôstrô 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 the Ministry of Defence of the Government of Bangladesh, and are directly administered by the Armed Forces Division of the Prime Minister's Office.[5] 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.[6] Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs[7] during peacetime, but during wartime, they fall under the command of the Bangladesh Army and the 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 have 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.[8][9]

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 Armed Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War.[10][11] 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 Bangladesh.[12]

  1. ^ "South Asia :: Bangladesh — The World Factbook". un.org. CIA. Archived from the original on 30 July 2021. Retrieved 24 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Manpower Reaching Military Age Annually (2020)". Global Fire Power (GFP). Retrieved 19 June 2020.
  3. ^ প্রতিবেদক, নিজস্ব (8 June 2017). 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]. Bangladesh Pratidin (in Bengali). Retrieved 12 June 2024. 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.]
  4. ^ "সশস্ত্র বাহিনীর সদস্য সংখ্যা ২ লাখ ৪ হাজার ৫৯৬ জন". The Daily Sangram (in Bengali). 8 June 2017. Archived from the original on 30 December 2019. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  5. ^ "About AFD". Armed Forces Division. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  6. ^ "Bangladesh ranks 37th in military power". Rising BD. 15 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Ministry of Home Affairs - Government of the People's Republic of Bangladesh". 16 December 1971. Archived from the original on 15 August 2023. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  8. ^ "Hasina attends office at Armed Forces Division". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 15 January 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  9. ^ "Lt Gen Mahfuzur new principal staff officer of Armed Forces Division". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 3 February 2016. Archived from the original on 11 August 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  10. ^ "Govt will continue efforts to modernise armed forces: PM". Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha. 20 November 2002. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  11. ^ "Armed Forces Day today". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 21 November 2015. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.
  12. ^ "Significance of Armed Forces Day". The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 22 November 2009. Archived from the original on 3 October 2017. Retrieved 3 October 2017.