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The Bangladesh Army (Bangla: বাংলাদেশ সেনা বাহিনী, Bānglādesh Shenā Bāhini) is the land armed forces branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. It was formed on 26 December 1971 following the Bangladesh Liberation War consisting of Bengali soldiers and officers from the Pakistan Army and members of the Mukti Bahini. Its current strength is estimated to be over 200,000 personnel including 50,000 on early retirement (leave prior to retirement (LPR)).^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Broom_icon. ... This article is about the Bengali language. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... The Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force are composed of regular military personnel. ... is the 360th day of the year (361st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ... Combatants Mukti Bahini India Aided By  Soviet Union Pakistan Aided By United States People’s Republic of China Commanders • Col. ... Pakistan Army Flag The Pakistan Army (Urdu: پاک فوج) is the largest branch of the Pakistan military, and is mainly responsible for protection of the state borders, the security of administered territories and defending the national interests of Pakistan within the framework of its international obligations. ... Liberation War commemoration poster Mukti Bahini (Bangla: মুক্তি বাহিনী) (Liberation Army), was a guerrilla force which fought against the Pakistan Army during the Bangladesh War of Independence in 1971. ...

The Bangladesh Army structure is similar to other armies of the Indian subcontinent which are all modelled and organized along British Army lines. However, the Bangladesh Army has adopted U.S. Army tactical planning procedures, training management techniques and noncommissioned officer educational systems. Map of South Asia (see note) This article deals with the geophysical region in Asia. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces which has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), or NCO, is an enlisted member of an armed force who has been delegated leadership or command authority by a commissioned officer. ...

It is supported by artillery, armored and combat units. In times of war and crisis, the Bangladesh Army can also be reinforced by the Bangladesh Rifles, Ansar (Village Guards), Village Defence Parties (VDP), police and other land forces numbering about one million trained personnel. Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... Bangladesh Rifles is a paramilitary force in Bangladesh. ...

It is also improving its peacekeeping operations capabilities and is working with the U.S. Military in this area. The armed forces of the United States of America consist of the United States Army United States Navy United States Air Force United States Marine Corps United States Coast Guard Note: The United States Coast Guard has both military and law enforcement functions. ...

History

A painting of Irregular cavalry of the Bengal Army, 1817.

East Bengal under the British Rule was a prominent place for British recruitment, when entire cavalry and lancer units were named after Bengal, especially prior to the Sepoy Mutiny of 1857. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (532x768, 59 KB)source: http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (532x768, 59 KB)source: http://www. ... An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from the British perspective. ...

After the First War of Independence, many native Bengalis were forbidden from entering military service citing the "martial races theory", primarily because large numbers of them were involved in the revolt against the British. In fact later the units called Bengal Lancers and Bengal Cavalry were often recruited from non-Bengali races. An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from the British perspective. ... Martial Race or Martial races theory is an ideology based on the assumption that certain ethnic races were more martially inclined as opposed to the general populace or other races. ...

Formation at Liberation War 1971

The Bangladesh Army was organized for Liberatioan War in 1971 into three brigades.

• Z force, under Major Ziaur Rahman, consisted of 1, 3 and 8 East Bengal Regiment.
• S Force, under Major Shafiullah, was created in October 1971 and consisted of 2 and 11 East Bengal.
• K Force, commanded by Khaled Mosharraf was created with 4, 9 and 10 East Bengal.

Ziaur Rahman (Bengali: Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19, 1936 — May 30, 1981) was the 6th President of Bangladesh and the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. ... The East Bengal Regiment is an infantry regiment of the Bangladesh Army. ... Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom, was a Bangladeshi army officer and war hero. ...

Major operations

Bangladesh Liberation War

When the sub-continent gained independence, India and Pakistan formed different states. Pakistan was divided into two sections, East Pakistan and West Pakistan. There were many cultural differences between these two divisions. In 1952, a rally took place in East Pakistan, against the establishment of Urdu as the national language. All the students involved were shot by the Pakistani military.^[1] Later, in 1970, elections took place in both divisions as to decide the future of the country. Awami league, a party in East Pakistan, won the majority of the votes in the eastern section, but were not allowed to take power. This ultimately led to a civil war in which about 1-3 million Bangladeshis were killed.^[2] Finally, after 9 months of bloody war with the help of India, on 16 December 1971 East Pakistan formed an independent state, known as Bangladesh. December 16 is the 350th day of the year (351st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1971 (MCMLXXI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1971 Gregorian calendar. ...

Chittagong hill tracts

Please help improve this article by expanding this section. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. Please remove this message once the section has been expanded. This article has been tagged since January 2007.

The Bangladesh Army has been involved in counter insurgency operations against the Shanti Bahini, an insurgent group fighting for tribal rights, in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) since 1976. Since 1997, after a peace accord was signed between the Government and Shanti Bahini, CHT has been a relatively quiet issue. However, the Army is still heavily deployed in CHT as a part of peace building, pacification and security duties. Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Shanti Bahini is the name of the military wing of Jana Shanghati shamiti in Chittagong Hill Tracts, Bangladesh. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

Peacetime activities

Bangladesh Army has been actively involved in United Nations Peace Support Operations (UNPSO). During the first Gulf War in 1991, the Bangladesh Army sent a 2,193 member team to monitor peace in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. Following that, the Bangladesh Army participated in peace keeping activities in Namibia, Cambodia, Somalia, Uganda/Rwanda, Mozambique, former Yugoslavia, Liberia, Haiti, Tajikistan, Western Sahara, Sierra Leone, Kosovo, Georgia, East Timor, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire and Ethiopia. As of April 2006, Bangladesh had a total of nearly 9,500 troops committed to UN Peacekeeping operations around the world, the most of any nation in the world. As of February 2007, Bangladesh remained the largest contributor with 10,126 troops in the UN Peacekeeping forces. The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ... Combatants United States & US-led Coalition Republic of Iraq Commanders Norman Schwarzkopf Khalid bin Sultan Saddam Hussein Strength 883,863 360,000 Casualties 378 dead and 1,000 wounded Est. ... Year 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the 1991 Gregorian calendar). ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: Land of the South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ... Kosovo (Albanian: Kosovë or Kosova, Serbian: Косово и Метохија, transliterated Kosovo i Metohija; also Космет, transliterated Kosmet) is a province in southern Serbia which has been under United Nations administration since 1999. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

Organization

Structure

Armored Division

The army is divided into the following corps: Image File history File links BDA.JPG‎ Author: TV Channel This image is a screenshot of a copyrighted television program or station ID. As such, the copyright for it is most likely owned by the company or corporation that produced it. ... Image File history File links BDA.JPG‎ Author: TV Channel This image is a screenshot of a copyrighted television program or station ID. As such, the copyright for it is most likely owned by the company or corporation that produced it. ...

• Infantry
• Special operations forces
• Artillery
• Engineers
• Signals
• Aviation
• Armored
• Services (Army Service Corps, Army Medical Corps, Ordnance Corps, Electrical and Mechanical Engineering Corps)

• Today the Bangladesh Army has 7 Infantry Divisions deployed around the country.

Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I. Infantry are soldiers who fight primarily on foot with small arms in organized military units, though they may be transported to the battlefield by horses, ships, automobiles, skis, bicycles, or other means. ... Special forces or special operations forces is a term used to describe relatively small military units raised and trained for reconnaissance, unconventional warfare and special operations. ... Artillery with Gabion fortification Cannons on display at Fort Point Continental Artillery crew from the American Revolution Firing of an 18-pound gun, Louis-Philippe Crepin, (1772 – 1851) A forge-welded Iron Cannon in Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu. ... Engineering is the application of scientific and technical knowledge to solve human problems. ... Military communications are links between battlefield units, including connections to a higher command or home country. ... Aerial warfare is the use of military aircraft and other flying machines in warfare, including military airlift of cargo to further the national interests as was demonstrated in the Berlin Airlift. ... It has been suggested that Mechanized warfare be merged into this article or section. ... Services are: plural of service Tertiary sector of industry IRC services Web services the name of a first-class cricket team in India This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Chief of Army Staff

The Chief of Army Staff (CAS) is the professional head of the Bangladesh Army. He is also regarded as the senior-most defence official in the country. The current CAS is General Moeen U Ahmed, who was promoted to General on 25 May 2007. Chief of Army Staff of Indian Army is the highest post in the Indian Army ... Moeen U Ahmed, a Harvard graduated became Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army on 15 June 2005. ... is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ...

The Army Chief functions from the Army Headquarters located in the Dhaka Cantonment. Since 26 May 2007, the Chief of Army Staff is full General, upgraded from the previous Lieutenant General rank. The official residence of the Army Chief is known as Senabhaban (Army House) and has served as the official residence of the CAS since independence, prior to that serving as the Flag Staff House - the residence of the seniormost officer in the garrison, the General Officer Commanding of 14 Infantry Division of the West Pakistan Army of Dhaka Cantonment. is the 146th day of the year (147th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era. ... West Pakistan was the popular and sometimes official (1955–1970) name of the western wing of Pakistan until 1971, when the eastern wing (East Pakistan) became independent as Bangladesh. ...

List of Chiefs of Army Staff

• General M. A. G. Osmani December 1971-April 1972 (commander in chief of armed forces)
• Colonel K.M. Shafiullah April 1972- August 1975 (dismissed after coup)
• Major General Ziaur Rahman August-November 1975 (dismissed in November 3 coup)
• Brigadier Khaled Mosharraf November 3-7, 1975 (leader of short-lived coup; killed on November 7)
• Major General Ziaur Rahman (2nd Time) November 7, 1975- November 1980
• Lt. General Hossain Mohammad Ershad December 1980-August 1985
• Lt. General Atiqur Rahman September 1, 1986-
• Lt. General Nuruddin Khan
• Lt. General Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim
• Lt. General Mahbubur Rahman ( 20 May 1996 to 23 December 1997)
• Lt. General Mustafizur Rahman (24 December 1997 to 23 December 2000)
• Lt. General M Harun-Ar-Rashid (24 December 2000 to 16 June 2002)
• Lt. General Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury (16 June 2002 to 15 June 2005)
• Lt. General Moeen U Ahmed (15 June 2005 to 22 May 2007)
• General Moeen U Ahmed (23 May 2007 to Present)

Muhammad Ataul Gani Osmani, better known by General M.A.G. Osmani (1 September 1918-16 February 1984) was the supreme commander of Mukti Bahini and Bangladesh Armed Forces during the Bangladesh Liberation War. ... General Shafiullah was the first Chief of Army Staff of the Bangladesh Army, serving prior to the installation of Ziaur Rahman at the post in 1975. ... Ziaur Rahman (Bengali: Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19, 1936 — May 30, 1981) was the 6th President of Bangladesh and the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. ... Khaled Mosharraf Bir Uttom, was a Bangladeshi army officer and war hero. ... Ziaur Rahman (Bengali: Ziaur Rôhman) (January 19, 1936 — May 30, 1981) was the 6th President of Bangladesh and the founder of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. ... Hossain Mohammad Ershad (b. ... Nuruddin Khan is a former Chief of Bangladesh Army and Minister of Energy (Bangladesh). ... Lieutenant General Abu Saleh Mohammad Nasim is a former Chief of the Bangladesh Army. ... Mahbubur Rahman (born February 1, 1969, Mymensingh District, Dhaka) is a former Bangladeshi cricketer who played in one ODI in 1999. ... Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury (Bangla: হাসান মশহুদ চৌধূরী) is a Bangladeshi army personnel and former Lieutenant General of the Bangladesh Army. ... Moeen U Ahmed, a Harvard graduated became Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army on 15 June 2005. ... Moeen U Ahmed, a Harvard graduated became Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army on 15 June 2005. ...

Ranks

The rank structure of the Bangladesh Army is modeled after the British Army. The ranks of commissioned officers are (in increasing order) The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British Armed Forces. ...

• Second Lieutenant
• Lieutenant
• Captain
• Major
• Lieutenant Colonel
• Colonel
• Brigadier General
• Major General
• Lieutenant General
• General
• Field Marshal

Second Lieutenant is the lowest commissioned rank in many armed forces. ... Lieutenant is a military, naval, paramilitary, fire service or police officer rank. ... A Captain in armies, air forces and marine forces, is a rank an army or air force rank with a NATO rank code of OF-2. ... Major is a military rank the use of which varies according to country. ... In the U.S. Army, Air Force and Marine Corps, a lieutenant colonel is a commissioned officer superior to a major and inferior to a colonel. ... This article or section needs copy editing for grammar, style, cohesion, tone and/or spelling. ... A Brigadier General, or one-star general, is the lowest rank of general officer in the United States and some other countries, ranking just above Colonel and just below Major General. ... Insignia of a United States Air Force Major General German Generalmajor Insignia Major General is a military rank used in many countries. ... Lieutenant General is a military rank used in many countries. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Note: This article is about the military usage of the word marshal. For other usages, see the end of this article. ...

Weapons Used

Wheeled Armored Personnel Carrier (APC)

• BTR-80 A Russian made Armored Personnel Carrier (APC) is Bangladesh's primary APC.

• 66 Al-Fahd Infantry fighting vehicle 240 Built by Egypt, Specially using for UNIKOM PSO mission in Iraq-Kuwait border.

• 9 RN-94 Built by Turkey and Romania, 6 x 6 armoured personnel carrier (APC)

BTR-80 is a 8x8 wheeled armoured personnel carrier (APC) designed in the Soviet Union. ... Al Fahd armoured vehicle has been developed by the Abdallah Al Faris Company for Heavy Industries, which is based in Saudi Arabia at Dammam. ...

Tracked Armored Fighting Vehicles (APC/IFV)

• BTR-T Conversion of T-54/55 MBT's into armored fighting vehicles (AFV) by Bangladeshi Engineers. The Army converted 100 or so obsolete MBT's into modern highly protected Heavy APC's and Self-propelled howitzers. Parts for the APC were acquired from Russia and assembled locally.

• M113 This USA-Pakistan made APC in Bangladesh using the M113 for UN missions only on lease basis.

• MT-LB The MT-LB is lightly armored APC manufactured by Russia. Bangladesh Army has 20.

• YW-531 (Type 85) This Chinese APC consists of a single 12.7-mm heavy machine gun with the capacity of 10 passengers. Bangladesh has 50.

The T-54 and T-55 main battle tanks were the Soviet Unions replacements for the World War II era T-34 tank. ... The M113 is an armored personnel carrier family of vehicles in use with the US military and many other nations. ... The MT-LB is a Soviet multi-purpose fully-amphibious armoured personnel carrier which was first introduced in the 1970s. ...

Light Battle Tanks

• Type 62 Type 62 Light Battle Tank made by China capable of manoeuvring through the riverine, forest, and mountainous terrains. Bangladesh have 142 in total of this tank (42 Type62 LBT and 80 Type 59 II MBT's). Type 62 LBT's were later upgraded with a laser rangefinder and capability of protection against high explosive anti-tank (HEAT) projectile

Main Battle Tanks (MBT)

• T-54/55 A Russian Main Battle Tank, Currently They have been converted and upgraded to APC's, IFV's and SPH to keep them in service for many years to come. A couple of this type of tank was the donated from Saudi Arabia as Bangladesh deployed its troops there in the Gulf War as part of a broad international coalition effort against Saddam Hussein and his military forces.

• Type 59 II Chinese licensed version of Russian Type 54A Main Battle Tank. Bangladesh Army bought 120 tanks from China including the Type 59 II MBT's till 1990.

• Type 79 Upgrade of the common Type 69 MBT, developed by the Chinese. Now Bangladesh Army operates hundreds of Type 79 MBT's.

The T-54 and T-55 main battle tanks were the Soviet Unions replacements for the World War II era T-34 tank. ... The Chinese Type 59 Main Battle Tank is a copy of the ubiquitous Russian T-55/54 medium tank. ... The Chinese Type 69 and Type 79 tanks were developments of the Type 59, which in turn was a copy of the Soviet T-54/55 series of tanks. ...

Anti Aircraft Artillery

• M-53/1
• M-53/2
• Type 55
• Type 56
• Type 58
• Type 59
• Type 59
• Type 90
• ZPU-1
• ZU-23
• HN-5 (MANPADS)
• QW-2 (MANPADS) - Manufactured locally by BOF.
• RBS-70 (MANPADS) - Status unverified.

ZPU-4 in Batey ha-Osef museum, Israel. ... A ZU-23-2 towed anti-aircraft gun. ... A winter firing of the RBS 70 during an exercise in Boden, Sweden in March 2001. ...

Multiple Launch Rocket System

• KRL 122mm This is a Pakistani manufactured MLR system operated by the Bangladesh Army.
• Type 90 This is the Chinese made 122 mm multiple launch rocket system. Is to be acquired by the Bangladesh Army.

BM-13 Katyusha A Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) is a form of rocket artillery system which includes a reusable launcher. ...

Self-Propelled Howitzers

• PLZ-45 Maximum range of 45 km. Its 155 mm laser-guided projectile has 90% hit probability. In Production at China, as required by the Bangladesh Army.
• Locally developed self-propelled howizters The Bangladesh Army developed locally made self-propelled howtzers using surplus T-55 MBT's as their chassis.

See also

• Military of Bangladesh
• Bangladesh Air Force
• Bangladesh Navy

The Bangladesh Army, Navy, and Air Force are composed of regular military personnel. ... The Bangladesh Air Force (বাংলাদেশ বিমান বাহিনী Bangladesh Biman Bahini in Bangla), is the tactical and strategic air branch of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. ... Bangladesh Navy ensign The Bangladesh Navy has a strength of 24,000 personnel including 1,081 officers[1] (2005 estimate). ...

External links

• Official Website of Bangladesh Army
• Unofficial Bangladesh Military Forces Website
• Library of Congress Country Studies assessment of Bangladesh Army (1988)

References

1. ^ Language Movement
2. ^ Bangladesh Liberation War