Bangladesh Armed Forces | |
---|---|
বাংলাদেশ সশস্ত্র বাহিনী Bāṅlādēś Sôśôstrô Bāhinī | |
Motto | চির উন্নত মম শির (de facto) ("Ever High is My Head") |
Founded | 21 November 1971 |
Current form | 12 January 1972 |
Service branches | Bangladesh Army Bangladesh Navy Bangladesh Air Force |
Headquarters | Armed Forces Division Headquarters, Dhaka Cantonment |
Website | afd |
Leadership | |
Commander-in-Chief | President Mohammed Shahabuddin |
Minister of Defence | Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus |
Principal Staff Officer | Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan |
Personnel | |
Military age | 18 years |
Conscription | No[1] |
Reaching military age annually | 3,176,505[2] |
Active personnel | 204,000[3][4] |
Deployed personnel | 10,736 for United Nations peacekeeping |
Expenditure | |
Budget | 6.995 billion USD (2024) |
Percent of GDP | 1.5% (2024) |
Industry | |
Domestic suppliers | |
Foreign suppliers | China Russia Turkey United States United Kingdom France Czech Republic |
Annual imports | US$754 million (2011–2020) |
Related articles | |
History | |
Ranks | Military ranks of Bangladesh |
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]
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.]