Despite certain bilateral issues, why are the US and Bangladesh boosting their military ties? By Mehjabin Bhanu

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The US will provide Bangladesh with unmanned air vehicle, patrol boats and hull boats over the next year to help the country conduct UN missions and defend its sovereignty.

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Peter Haas said this while speaking at the Defence Services Command and Staff College about the US foreign policy and its implications on Bangladesh on July 30.

"Over the next year we expect to deliver the highly capable Blackjack UAS [drones], 35-foot SAFE Patrol Boats, and additional Zodiac Rigid Hull Boats," said Haas.

The US helps build Bangladesh's capabilities primarily through grant programmes such as Foreign Military Financing and the Global Peacekeeping Operations Initiative, he added.

Haas described the US's vision in Bangladesh in terms of five general goals, which include supporting a peaceful and stable Bangladesh, promoting democracy and human rights, boosting economic prosperity, providing humanitarian protection, and building a socially and environmentally resilient Bangladesh.

The US diplomat said they are committed to ensuring that the Indo-Pacific region remains free, open, peaceful, and secure.

To this end, the US military regularly works with the Bangladesh military to strengthen defence readiness and to reinforce partnership between our military forces at every level, he noted.

The US has provided Bangladesh with numerous new military equipment to support the Army, Navy, Air Force and Special Operations units. The US provided Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) armoured vehicles and bomb robots, frigates like the Somudra Joy and Somudra Avijan, and four C-130B aircrafts.

Peter Haas said the US is ready to provide Bangladesh with more advanced capabilities through Foreign Military Sales when the time is right.

He said they are encouraged that Bangladesh's Indo-Pacific Outlook declares Bangladesh's vision for a "free, open, peaceful, secure, and inclusive Indo-Pacific for the shared prosperity for all. "There is much in the Outlook that overlaps with our own vision for the Indo-Pacific," said Haas.

However, Bangladesh is a key ally of the United States in South Asia. Bangladesh has already declared its 15 points Indo-Pacific strategy recently. On issues such as regional and global security, counter-terrorism, and climate change, the two countries enjoy substantial collaboration. Bangladesh has played an important role in the Obama administration's major international development projects such as food security, healthcare, and the environment.  In 2012, the two countries inked a strategic conversation agreement. In 2015, Marcia Bernicat, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh, praised relations as “vibrant, multifaceted, and important.”

One of Bangladesh's most important strategic military partners is the United States. Defense cooperation between the United States and Bangladesh is growing day by day. Regular joint exercises are performed, particularly in the Bay of Bengal. The United States Pacific Command engages the Bangladesh Armed Forces on a regular basis. The US also assisted in the formation of the Bangladesh Navy's elite SWADS marine unit, which is fashioned after American and South Korean special forces.

Bangladesh is the largest donor to UN peacekeeping operations in the world. Bangladeshi peacekeeping missions have benefited greatly from the sponsorship of the United States.

Strong and expanding economic ties between the two nations are the bedrock of the US-Bangladesh relationship. Bangladesh has suddenly developed into one of the world's fastest growing economies during the previous five decades. Bangladesh is on track to become the world's 24th largest economy in 10 years, with an expected growth rate of 7.2 percent in 2022. Bangladesh's growth and resiliency are built on development and foreign direct investment, and the United States remains a dedicated partner.

Bangladesh is located in the heart of the Indo-Pacific, a region that the Biden-Harris administration has prioritised for economic connectivity, bilateral relations are also focused on shared democratic values, free enterprise, resilient supply chains, and the prosperity and health of both countries' people.

We see major areas of engagement that may be strengthened to deepen defense and security cooperation as 50 years of US-Bangladesh relations are being celebrated.

This was notably true during the pandemic, when Bangladesh delivered over 6 million pieces of personal protective equipment to the United States during the first catastrophic wave of Covid-19.

However, recent years have become a challenging year for relations between the United States and Bangladesh.  Washington had imposed sanctions on Bangladesh's Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and several current and former officers on December 10, 2021. The US has declared new visa policy for Bangladesh. There are some tense relations between USA and Bangladesh. 

Amidst these, Peter Hass' comment is very significant here. However, Washington may continue to regard Dhaka as a security partner in the region. US now wants to build a strategic relation with Bangladesh. This could help strengthen bilateral defense ties. Bilateral defense ties may boost up bilateral relations. USA needs Bangladesh in the region and vice versa. This conveyed the message that, despite having some bilateral problems, both countries are very interested to strengthen further bilateral ties. This may help solve bilateral problems. Bangladesh and USA must engage as trusted partners to deal with some common problems.

President of the United States, Joe Biden, has voiced his belief earlier that the Dhaka-Washington relationship will thrive for the next 50 years and beyond.

In a letter to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he noted that 'Our defense cooperation is stronger than ever,' the US president said, adding that the Bangladesh Coast Guard and Navy are essential allies in ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific area, as well as contributing to the regional fight to combat human and illicit drug trafficking.

According to the US government websites, Bangladesh has received $66.9 million in Foreign Military Financing (FMF) and $7.29 million in International Military Education and Training (IMET) aid from the United States since 2015. FMF funding includes $10 million in bilateral programs and $56.9 million in regional FMF for the Bay of Bengal Initiative. Through FMF support, the Department of State's Bay of Bengal Initiative aims to improve civilian and military actors' capacity to detect illicit activity within their borders and in the region, build networks and habits of cooperation to allow countries to share information, develop their capacity to respond quickly to illicit activity, and support our partners in enabling a rules-based order in the Indian Ocean Region.

In support of the Indo-Pacific Strategy, US security aid to Bangladesh has improved maritime security, freedom of navigation, and humanitarian assistance/disaster response capabilities. These funds have been used to purchase patrol boats for the Bangladesh Army, additional patrol vessels for the Navy, international peacekeeping and border security missions; electronic and mechanical upgrades to the Bangladesh Navy's fast patrol boats and former US Coast Guard cutters; technical and professional training for Bangladesh military and Coast Guard personnel; and joint military exercises. This assistance has helped Bangladesh significantly in its efforts to improve its marine domain knowledge and control. Bangladesh Army chief visited USA twice recently. During the meetings, issues of common interest to the two forces were discussed, including UN peacekeeping missions and post-disaster humanitarian aid.

To make the Bangladesh peacekeeping front more active and robust, the Bangladeshi government, USA as world power and the UN should play a more collaborative role, providing Bangladeshi peacekeepers with the opportunity to utilize excellent training facilities and equipping them with advanced weaponry to uphold the international image, glory, and prestige of Bangladesh in its contribution to world peace and global stability. In steading of ban thinking, the US should and must collaborate with Bangladesh in continuing a successful peace keeping missions. 

As a result, UN peace keeping chief Lacruix showed an interest in sending more Bangladeshi peacekeepers to the UN. The Bangladesh army leader requested that the Bangladeshi contingents of the UN peacekeeping force replace their old weapons and equipment with new weaponry and equipment sourced from Bangladesh.

The United States intends to help Bangladesh modernise and institutionalise its armed forces by supplying defense equipment and training. The United States emphasised the signing of two defense accords – GSOMIA and ACSA – that serve as foundations for defense trade and cooperation.

However, the majority of the US military assistance to Bangladesh is in the form of training for defense professionals and joint exercises between two forces. The United States Pacific Command engages the Bangladesh Armed Forces on a regular basis. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper paid a visit to Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and discussed military cooperation between the two countries, among other things. Bangladesh army chief paid his US visit this month after the successful completion of ‘Security Partnership Dialogue’ in April, 2022 in Dhaka. This visit is very significant for Bangladesh and USA in the region. The USA and Bangladesh has strengthened their defense ties further through this visit.

 

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