Bangladesh’s $75 Billion Defence Modernisation Proposal (2026–2040): Strategic Posture, Procurement Strategy, and the Future of Tri-Service Capability

The proposed $75 billion defence modernisation programme of the Bangladesh Armed Forces, spanning from 2026 to 2040, marks a profound shift in Dhaka’s military doctrine, force posture, and international partnerships. Structured across a tri-service transformation, the plan envisions an integrated military with advanced network-centric warfare capabilities, strategic deterrence assets, and indigenous defence industrial development. This essay analyses the strategic rationale, procurement blueprint, capability objectives, and geopolitical considerations underpinning the proposal. Rationale for Transformation Bangladesh, situated in a geo-strategically sensitive location between South Asia and Southeast Asia, with direct access to the Bay of Bengal, faces an evolving threat environment. These threats range from non-traditional security challenges (such as maritime piracy, natural disasters, cyber warfare) to conventional concerns involving regional power projection and coercive diplomacy by larger neighbours. Against this backdrop, the proposed $75 billion military modernisation programme emerges not as a reactionary measure, but a proactive recalibration of defence doctrine