Abstract
In the system of sovereign states, every state considers itself to be autonomous in both its internal functions and its external relations with other similar entities. With each state deciding for itself what it can or cannot do, the system of sovereign states presents a picture of anarchy, a challenge that is met through the creation of armed forces. The narrative in this chapter is the history of the Bangladesh Military from 1971 to 2020. Sources are both primary and secondary, such as memoirs/books by participants in the many events enumerated here; available official papers and documents; and observations of the author. It is through a perusal of this narrative that the reader may be able to gain a grasp of the defense policy of Bangladesh as it evolved over a period of almost five decades. Therefore, in every state there exists a central authority with an absolute monopoly on the legitimate use of force, both within and beyond the geographical boundaries of a state.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
Goldman, Kjell and Sjostedt, Gunner (Ed), Power, Capabilities, Interdependence, Sage Publications, London (1979), pp. 15–22.
- 2.
I use the terms ‘Armed Forces’ and ‘Military’ interchangeably to denote the Army, the Navy and the Air Force taken together. The traditional military was considered to consist of the Army and the Navy, but since the First World War, the Air Force has also been considered to be a component of the military. In some militaries, today, there are more components than the three cited here.
- 3.
Gilbert, Felix (Ed), The Historical Essays of Otto Hintze, Oxford University Press, NY (1975), pp. 181–215.
- 4.
Op Cit., p. 215.
- 5.
Lider, Julian, Military Force, Gower Publishing Co Ltd, UK (1981), pp. 1–2; and Marxism on War and Army, Soviet Publication (1980).
- 6.
Lieutenant Colonel M. R. Choudhury was killed by the Pakistan Army on the night of March 25–26, 1971, at Chittagong Cantonment; monuments at Chittagong Cantonment bear testimony to his contribution to the independence of the country. Brigadier Mozumdar was taken from Chittagong Cantonment on March 23, 1971 to Dhaka, and then to Pakistan, where he was incarcerated for the duration of the War and repatriated to Bangladesh in 1974.
- 7.
The retired Colonel was then an Awami League Member of the National Assembly and arguably the senior-most Bengali officer present in Bangladesh in 1971. Later he would be appointed the Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C) of the Liberation Forces and Defence Minister of the Bangladesh Government-in-Exile and of the Independent Bangladesh Government.
- 8.
From here on, I use the name Bangladesh to refer to what was East Pakistan.
- 9.
List of Liberation War Sectors and Sector Commanders of Bangladesh (Gazette Notification No.8/25/D-1/72-1378), Ministry of Defence, Government of Bangladesh, December 15, 1973, and History of Bangladesh Army, Vol III.
- 10.
In December 1976, this author was commissioned into 20 Mortar Regiment, Artillery. This unit was converted from a JRB battalion, the 8th JRB.
- 11.
The author of this paper was one of the coauthors of both these document, while serving in the DSCSC as a Directing Staff (in civilian terms, a teacher at college levels).
- 12.
Choudhury, Mahmud ur Rahman, Colonel, The Changing Role of Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Defence Journal, Issue 72, March 2014, Dhaka, pp. 17–25, contains a whole list of such business organizations. Limitations of space prevent me from reproducing this list here.
References
Ahmad, M. (2015). Jasoder Utthan Poton: Osthir Somoyer Rajniti. Prothoma Prokashon.
Alam, A. (2013). Rakkhi Bahinir Shotto Mithay. Prothoma Prokashon.
Bangladesh Liberation War. (2008). Asia Publications for the Education Directorate, Bangladesh Army.
Choudhury, Mahmud ur Rahman. (2014). The Changing Role of Bangladesh Army. Bangladesh Defence Journal, (72), March, Dhaka. https://www.bangladeshdefencejournal.com/defence-journal-all-content/bangladesh-army-the-end-of-an-era
Gilbert, F. (1975). The Historical Essays of Otto Hintze. Oxford University Press.
Goldman, K., & Sjostedt, G. (Eds.). (1979). Power, Capabilities, Interdependence. Sage Publications.
History of Bangladesh Army, Vol. 1–7. (2015). Education Directorate, Army Headquarters, Bangladesh Army.
Hossain, S. (1997). Brigadier, Bangladesh: Roktaktto Odhay 1975–81. Palok Publishers.
Khandker, A. K. (2014). 1971 Bhitoray Bahiray. Prothoma Prokashon.
Lider, J. (1981). Military Force (pp. 1–2). Gower Publishing Co Ltd.; and Marxism on War and Army, Soviet Publication (1980).
List of Liberation War Sectors and Sector Commanders of Bangladesh (Gazette Notification No.8/25/D-1/72-1378). (1973). Ministry of Defence, Government of Bangladesh, December 15.
Shahaduzzaman. (2012). Kracher Kornel. Mowla Brothers.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Choudhury, M.U.R. (2022). The Changing Role of the Bangladesh Military: 1971 to 2020—The Evolving Bangladesh Defense Policy. In: Khondker, H., Muurlink, O., Bin Ali, A. (eds) The Emergence of Bangladesh. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5521-0_17
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-16-5521-0_17
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-16-5520-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-16-5521-0
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)