Bangladesh’s piecemeal defence acquisitions

Reading Time: < 1 minute Over the past two decades Bangladesh’s armed forces have made defence purchases in a piecemeal or adhoc fashion suggesting professional incompetence and political interference. These acquisitions helped lined the pockets of influential members of the ousted Awami League (AL) regime headed by Sheikh Hasina, with Major General (retd.) Tarique Ahmed Siddique, the defence & security advisor pulling all the strings from behind the scenes. Unfortunately, this resulted in the unbalanced development of the armed forces. It damaged their fighting and operational capabilities, and even hurt the morale of the courageous, and highly professional uniformed personnel. Since the July-August 2024 revolution in Bangladesh the entire nation had the opportunity to rebuild the destroyed institutions of the country. It also unmasked many national security threats emanating from Bangladesh’s neighbour’s, particularly India. The ability to project strong deterrence will ensure Bangladesh can effectively address diplomatic and security challenges