USS Fitzgerald to Dock at Chattogram for Historic Joint Exercise with Bangladesh Navy

Reading Time: 2 minutes In a landmark development signalling a new phase in Bangladesh–United States naval cooperation, the USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62), an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, is scheduled to dock at Chattogram Port on Wednesday for a three-day joint exercise with the Bangladesh Navy. This marks the first visit of a US guided-missile destroyer to Bangladesh since the country’s independence in 1971. According to official communications accessed by BDMilitary.com, the exercise will take place from 8 to 10 October 2025 in a designated zone of the Bay of Bengal, stretching from Chattogram to Badarkhali. The Chattogram Port Authority’s Marine Department issued an advisory on 5 October instructing all sea-going vessels, coastal craft, and fishing trawlers to avoid the exercise area during the period 0001 to 2400 hrs LT each day. The USS Fitzgerald is 154 metres long, 20.2 metres wide, and displaces 9,246 tonnes, with a complement of 327