Bangladesh - Doctrine

The primary mission of the regular armed forces is the classic one of defending the nation's territorial integrity against external attack. During wartime, the armed forces are responsible for mobilizing the nation's resources by assuming direct control over paramilitary and police forces, civilian transportation, and defense-related industries. Since achieving independence in 1971, Bangladesh has never ordered national mobilization because it has not faced an invasion. In addition, the armed forces have never conducted military operations beyond the country's land or sea boundaries. None of Bangladesh's three services has reserve components to call on during wartime, but the country could employ thousands of military veterans in a protracted guerrilla struggle.

Faced with these kinds of threats, the military consistently supported retaining the army's watchdog political role in a nominally civilian government. The armed forces back up local authorities in maintaining public order and ensuring internal security. An "aid-to-the-civil- power" function, based on the British colonial code, was used extensively during the united Pakistan era and has been employed by civilian and military governments since 1971.

in 1974, Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman formulated the 'Defense Policy'. In the light of this policy, the organizational structure of the Bangladesh Army as well as the process of modernization of the army is underway. The present government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has continued the process of modernization as well as structuring and changing the organizational structure of the army as part of the implementation of 'Force Goal-2030' [details of which are extremely sparse and fragmentary]. President Abdul Hamid said 23 February 2020, “In order to survive in competition with the modern world, the present government has enhanced the capabilities of the Bangladesh Army through modern weapons, artillery guns and modern infantry gadgets. Because a modern, up-to-date and strong military is essential for any country".

Military deployments in aid-to-civil roles fall into three categories. The first and most pervasive use of the military is to assist local authorities and police in putting down riots and conducting counterinsurgency operations. Following the British pattern, the military is customarily used only as the "force of last resort" in domestic peacekeeping because it is not trained in routine police functions, such as crowd control. Ordering troops to use force against their own countrymen, moreover, invites public criticism of the armed forces, tarnishes their image as the "defenders of the nation," and undermines military morale.

For these reasons, Bangladeshi authorities have traditionally preferred to rely on police and paramilitary forces to quell disturbances. Nevertheless, Bangladeshi regimes have occasionally resorted to using the military for domestic peacekeeping, sometimes for extended periods. Although the army ordinarily bears the heaviest burden in aid-to-civil operations, the air force and navy can also be called on to transport troops to the scene of a disturbance or to patrol areas near ports or air bases.

The military's second aid-to-civil mission entails running essential services or industries whenever public sector employees stage a strike. The military performed this function in the latter half of 1987 when opposition political parties staged a series of general strikes and work stoppages to pressure Ershad to resign. To keep the country running, the military took over a variety of civilian duties, such as managing port facilities, airports, and power plants.

A third aid-to-civil mission -- the only one the military willingly performed -- is disaster relief. Bangladesh has suffered repeated natural calamities which caused thousands of deaths and displaced millions of citizens. The military is routinely called upon to transport food and medicine to refugees, as they did during the 1987 and 1988 monsoon floods that inundated more than 50 percent and 66 percent of the country, respectively.

The military did not initially perform socalled "civic action" duties, such as building roads, canals, and dams. Following the British pattern of civil-military relations, the Bangladesh armed forces preferred to engage in these activities only when they directly support the military's national defense mission or during extreme emergencies.

Today, however, the Army spends considerable time on Army in Aid to Civil Authority. The Army assisted election commission in conducting free and fair elections. Army also take part in various by election and city corporation election. So far army has participated in National Parliamentary Election in the year of 1991, 1996, and 2001 under care taker government. To assist the government in post flood relief activities i.e Vulnearble Group Feeding [VGF] Programme, the Army deployed in various parts of Bangladesh from 20 August 2006. Army assisted the civil authority in verification of list, distribution of card, and ration distribution in all unions of Bangladesh (64 districts). A total of 7503762 VGF cards were distributed to the ultra poor/vulnerable group where a total of 7503.762 Metric Tons of rice were distributed over a period of 07 days.

Every year Army is assisting Water and Sewer Authority [WASA] authority of Dhaka and Chittagong in distributing water during crisis situation. Inadequate power supply adversely affected Dhaka city water supply system of WASA. Troops deployed to assist WASA. Deployment was carried out from 05 May 2006 to 15 Nov 2006. Deployment of troops has indeed increased the efficiency of water supply by WASA. This has reduced the water crisis to a great extent. Total 9 Officers, 7 Junior Commissioned Officers and 164 Other Ranks were deployed during this time. Army distributed total 3156203 (upto 14 Sep 2006) liter water during that period. During the month of Ramadan (15 October 2004 to 11 November 2004), troops also deployed to assist WASA in managing water crisis. This time troops distributed total 25,95,600 liters of water by their own means (Army water trailer, bauser etc).

According to senior Bangladeshi commanders in the late 1980s, the military was the only institution capable of providing the nation with honest and efficient administration. In their view, civilian politicians were obsessed with settling political scores, undercutting the influence of the armed forces, and downplaying the military's role in leading the nation to victory in 1971. Moreover, most officers regarded politicians as hopelessly corrupt and incapable of creating confidence in the government's capacity to make the best use of vitally needed foreign assistance. The military disregarded suggestions made by the opposition to curtail its power, such as the formation of a "people's army," the outright abolition of the military, or various constitutional provisions that would circumscribe the military's political influence.

Many Bangladeshi officers asserted that they would prefer to limit their role in administering the country and concentrate on their traditional role of maintaining defense preparedness. They feared, however, that if the military were not in a position to safeguard the national interest, a government controlled by the opposition would mortgage the country's future and, conceivably, destroy the armed forces. Civilian political leaders did not reassure the military on this score. For instance, Begum Khaleda Zia, the widow of Ziaur Rahman and the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, had called on freedom fighters in the armed forces to take matters into their own hands and join with her party in ousting Ershad. Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the daughter of Mujib and the head of the Awami League, has campaigned against "corrupt generals" and threatened to reduce the army to an internal police force if she came to power.

Since independence Bangladesh has been a victim the power struggle between three centers of power — the army and the two dynastic political parties, Awami League (AL) and Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) kept the country in continual political turmoil. In the early years of independence, the army and the AL were the two main contenders. In the 1990s the feud between AL and BNP to acquire maximum power by undermining democratic values started. By 2007 this political conflict led the military once again to intervene. The army installed a caretaker government which conducted elections on 29 December 2008 after two years of emergency rule.