Ambitious modernization plan of the Bangladeshi Military

[T.C.P]

Is a possible invasion by India considered a real threat in BD ?

The military considers this to be the biggest threat. the military's defence plan is centered around a possible Indian invasion, although in recent times Myanmer is also getting a lot of attention, but India remains the no.1 threat as defined by the military.

 

[eastwatch]

The military considers this to be the biggest threat. the military's defence plan is centered around a possible Indian invasion, although in recent times Myanmer is also getting a lot of attention, but India remains the no.1 threat as defined by the military.

You are correct about our defence threat perception that India is the biggest threat. But, instead of using this physical threat, India is using a psychological threat. Our bureaucrats and politicians perceive India as a threat because it is a well-armed giant.

So, when India pursues an issue with BD, our politicians and bureaucrats get nerveous and try hard not to displease India. It means that many of our policies get disoriented on the discussion table. A strong defensive military will rectify the situation.

 

[T.C.P]

You are correct about our defence threat perception that India is the biggest threat. But, instead of using this physical threat, India is using a psychological threat. Our bureaucrats and politicians perceive India as a threat because it is a well-armed giant.

So, when India pursues an issue with BD, our politicians and bureaucrats get nerveous and try hard not to displease India. It means that many of our policies get disoriented on the discussion table. A strong defensive military will rectify the situation.

The biggest thing Bangladesh is afraid of is becoming another Nepal or Bhutan who are basically almost vassal states of India, and I am sure that if we had not inherited a full fledged military and maintained it we would have gone the same way.


Luckily Today Chinese influence in Bangladesh out weighs the Indian influence even though the Awami League( Inidan puppets) are in power, China basically rules the roost here.

If India and Bangladesh's relation is ever to improve then India needs to take a look at her approach to foreign policy when dealing with neighbors.

The perspective of Bangladeshis toward India is going down hill fast, the border killings, transit without any transit fee are heating up the issue, long gone is the time when most Bangladeshis were ignorant and had no idea what was happening mto their country; thanks to cable, internet and high reaching journalism Bangladeshis are very much aware of what India is doing to our country and we are not liking it.

 

[Twinblade]

The biggest thing Bangladesh is afraid of is becoming another Nepal or Bhutan who are basically almost vassal states of India, and I am sure that if we had not inherited a full fledged military and maintained it we would have gone the same way.


Luckily Today Chinese influence in Bangladesh out weighs the Indian influence even though the Awami League( Inidan puppets) are in power, China basically rules the roost here.

If India and Bangladesh's relation is ever to improve then India needs to take a look at her approach to foreign policy when dealing with neighbors.

The perspective of Bangladeshis toward India is going down hill fast, the border killings, transit without any transit fee are heating up the issue, long gone is the time when most Bangladeshis were ignorant and had no idea what was happening mto their country; thanks to cable, internet and high reaching journalism Bangladeshis are very much aware of what India is doing to our country and we are not liking it.

I know, shooting illegal immigrants is kinda the norm in BSF, and our neighbors don't like it one single bit, but except by a few nut jobs in India, Bangladesh is seen mostly as a friendly country, especially since the government there has curbed down on militant islamic groups and various separatist movements in north eastern India using Bangladesh as a retreat of sorts. Its mostly due to trigger happy activism of BSF and support of Bangla intelligence agencies that the militancy is north east gone down significantly, because neither the militants here like to cross over to Bangladesh to escape the police, and neither do they want risk biting a bullet trying to crossover from Bangladesh while smuggling arms.

Its really unfortunate if such cooperation is seen as being seen as being puppets. Nepal and Bhutan are completely different cases to Bangladesh. Nepal has been culturally always been south asian in nature and always had open borders with India. Millions of Nepalis work in India and vice versa, to the extant of Nepali officers training in India and Nepalis in Indian armed forces. So when landlocked between India and China, they are naturally very inclined towards India. Wrt to kingdom of Bhutan, post annexation of Tibet by China they have decided to chose the "lesser evil".

Regarding Indian relations with its neighbors, whenever there is trouble in a neighboring country, it has always blown back to India. For eg :- mujahideen from pakistan, maoist insurgency from nepal, and tamil tigers from sri lanka.

Other than Sri lanka, India has not "actively" meddled in any other countries affairs since 1971, and that one too proved to be one costly mistake. With Bangladesh, as i said, the porous border has been used to the full advantage by anti India elements, esp with our opportunistic politicians eagerly declaring illegal immigrants as legit citizens and helping them get ID's. Also since Myanmar also actively cracks down on any kind of armed groups on Indian borders, the easiest way to smuggle cheap Chinese knock off arms for militant groups purchased from the corrupt military Burmese junta, is to smuggle them along with drugs via the numerous rivers in the delta basin in Bangladesh. Therefore Bangladesh border is considered such a high risk one by Indian intelligence, because not only is it easy to infiltrate, but its also damn easy to get a legitimate identity. This is the reason for maintaining a massive intelligence presence in both Bangladesh and Nepal, primarily to stop anti India elements.

Btw any other meddling in Bangla affairs that we here in India are unaware of, other than the transit fee issue ?

 

[T.C.P]

I know, shooting illegal immigrants is kinda the norm in BSF, and our neighbors don't like it one single bit, but except by a few nut jobs in India, Bangladesh is seen mostly as a friendly country, especially since the government there has curbed down on militant islamic groups and various separatist movements in north eastern India using Bangladesh as a retreat of sorts. Its mostly due to trigger happy activism of BSF and support of Bangla intelligence agencies that the militancy is north east gone down significantly, because neither the militants here like to cross over to Bangladesh to escape the police, and neither do they want risk biting a bullet trying to crossover from Bangladesh while smuggling arms.

Its really unfortunate if such cooperation is seen as being seen as being puppets. Nepal and Bhutan are completely different cases to Bangladesh. Nepal has been culturally always been south asian in nature and always had open borders with India. Millions of Nepalis work in India and vice versa, to the extant of Nepali officers training in India and Nepalis in Indian armed forces. So when landlocked between India and China, they are naturally very inclined towards India. Wrt to kingdom of Bhutan, post annexation of Tibet by China they have decided to chose the "lesser evil".

Regarding Indian relations with its neighbors, whenever there is trouble in a neighboring country, it has always blown back to India. For eg :- mujahideen from pakistan, maoist insurgency from nepal, and tamil tigers from sri lanka.

Other than Sri lanka, India has not "actively" meddled in any other countries affairs since 1971, and that one too proved to be one costly mistake. With Bangladesh, as i said, the porous border has been used to the full advantage by anti India elements, esp with our opportunistic politicians eagerly declaring illegal immigrants as legit citizens and helping them get ID's. Also since Myanmar also actively cracks down on any kind of armed groups on Indian borders, the easiest way to smuggle cheap Chinese knock off arms for militant groups purchased from the corrupt military Burmese junta, is to smuggle them along with drugs via the numerous rivers in the delta basin in Bangladesh. Therefore Bangladesh border is considered such a high risk one by Indian intelligence, because not only is it easy to infiltrate, but its also damn easy to get a legitimate identity. This is the reason for maintaining a massive intelligence presence in both Bangladesh and Nepal, primarily to stop anti India elements.

Btw any other meddling in Bangla affairs that we here in India are unaware of, other than the transit fee issue ?

Before I start, I have to say this-I am not an anti-Indian, I have nothing against the Indian populace whatsoever and wish no harm or have any ill intention against the nation of India, I even know several Indians personally and know that they are a friendly good natured people mostly.

That being said, I must inform you that Indo- Bangladeshi relations have always been,,,uhh...the best word here would be tumultuous. To undertsand this you have to take a brief look at our history including pre-1971.

Back when we were Esst Pakistan we fought two wars against india, in both the wars East Pakistan had to take the brunt of the damage, because the West Pakistan spent all the money on fotifying themselves and leaving the East Pakistan with very weak defences and making us the targets of Indian attacks, and this coupled with West Pakistan propaganda amde Bengalis feel pretty anti Indian, the several years prior to 71 the Bangali perception of India greatly improved as we considered India an ally against Pakistan, how ever during the war of 71, the relation between the East Pakistani regiments and the Indian military weren't that great due to miscommunication and growing feeling that we were fighting our own war for freedom and India was fighting their own war against Pakistan, the fact that India grabbed most of the military equipment left behind by Pakistan post war did not help much either.

Also after the war, Indian troops refused to leave Bangladeshi soil, President Mujib had to personally send a message to Indiara Gandhi to remove troops from our soil, how ever India took huge swabs of land for compensation for removing their army.

The perceptions towards India were still postive until the assaination of SK. Mujib, from thenon Bangladesh's relation with India fell and the government exposed many Indian activities against Bangladesh, like India pushing the post 71 govt hard to dissolve the military, to gain Islands like Talpotee for Naval bases, seizing Bangladeshi land at the borders etc.

From then on Bangladesh's relation and the Bengali perception of india went south, and India's violation of water treaties by buliding dams worsened the situattion as these dams destroyed huge farmlands and many people's livelihood along with them.

How India expected and expects Bangladesh to buy all their products but puts restrictions on our products from entering their market.


The indian govt basically has the mentality that Bangladesh will just bow down to all their demands. Most indians know very little about the border troubles, but due you know that thanks to post 71 land grabbng and counter grabbing how many Indian Enclaves exist in Bangladesh, it is estimated that we support over 200000 Indians who live in these enclaves.

 

[T.C.P]

HAHA, finally its confirmed 44 new MBT-2000s are on their way-

Army to get 44 tanks
2 helicopters also on purchase list

Hasan Jahid Tusher

For the first time in the country's history, the government will purchase 44 new tanks and three armoured recovery vehicles (ARV) for the army as part of its plan to modernise the armed forces.

The government will also buy two brand new helicopters for the army to ensure necessary logistic support for the UN peacekeeping activities.

The Main Battle Tanks (MBT-2000) and the ARVs will be bought from China, and the helicopters from France through government-to-government deals, which were recently signed. According to the deals, the cost of the tanks will be around Tk 1,201 crore, and the helicopters Tk 174 crore. Besides, a process is on to buy 18 brand new cannons.

The purchases would be done from the budgetary allocations for the army, said government sources.

The government increased the allocation for the armed forces to Tk 12,134 crore in the proposed budget for fiscal 2011-12 from Tk 10,918 crore in the current fiscal year.

"The tanks will be bought through a government to government deal ensuring maximum transparency," Master General of Ordnance (MGO) of Bangladesh Army Maj Gen Abdul Matin told The Daily Star yesterday.

"The purchase is being done as a part of modernisation of the Bangladesh Army," he said adding that the tanks will be delivered in phases over a span of 27 months. In the first phase 24 tanks will come within 20 months, and the rest will come in the second phase over the next 7 months.

The payment for the purchase will be made in phases over the next eight years, said the major general.

Maj Gen (retd) Amin Ahmed Chowdhury told The Daily Star that through this purchase, the military of the country will definitely get a boost.

“If the authorities concerned that would supply the tanks share transfer of technologies then it would work.”

Mag Gen Abdul Matin however said the Chinese government will provide training to technicians of Bangladesh Army in China and in Bangladesh for a good period of time so that the tanks and ARVs could be maintained properly. The training will be free of charge, he said adding that the China would also give adequate spare parts of the tanks.

The government in 2003 took initiatives to buy tanks for the army, but that initiative did not see the light of day due to budgetary limitations, said the sources.

The government was supposed to buy seven tanks last year and seven more this year. As only a Chinese company took part in the tender, the government cancelled it, and re-invited tender in which four companies from China, Russia, Ukraine, and Pakistan participated. Chinese company Norinco was selected as the lowest bidder.

Later the army requested the government to buy 44 tanks instead of 14.

A five-member committee headed by Maj Gen Abdul Matin signed a deal with the Chinese defence ministry on June 14 to purchase the tanks. According to the deal, China North Industries Corporation (Norinco) will deliver the tanks.

Matin said Eurocopter, a global helicopter manufacturing company in France, will supply the two helicopters by July next year.

The two helicopters will be used in UN peacekeeping missions, he said.

The committee chief said they have signed a draft deal with the countries concerned to purchase 18 new cannons. The agreement will be finalised next year, he added.

Bangladesh first got tanks in 1974 during Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's trip to Egypt. The then Egyptian president Anwar Sadat presented Bangabandhu with 44 tanks that were in good shape, said government sources.

Some refurbished tanks have also been bought for the army over the years.


Army to get 44 tanks




This is a regiment of new tanks the new MBT-2000 will eventually rplace all tanks in the Bangladeshi military. I wonder what choppers we are going to get from France??

 

[T.C.P]

Bangladesh Eyes China Arms

China has again underlined its strategic influence in what India might once have considered its own backyard, with the announcement of the latest in a string of arms sales to Bangladesh.

Dhaka is procuring 44 Chinese MBT-2000s main battle tanks, Bangladeshi media have reported, for around $162 million. This represents a significant purchase for a country with a 2011 defence budget of $1.6 billion, and it’s the first time that Bangladesh has obtained newly assembled MBTs. The army currently has an inventory of around 200 older Chinese tanks, which have been upgraded with Beijing’s assistance to keep them in service. One of China’s other key regional allies, Pakistan, also operates the MBT-2000.

China isn’t the sole supplier of military equipment to Dhaka, which has also sourced military technology (most of it second hand) from Italy, Russia, South Korea, the UK and the United States in recent years, while announcing the purchase of two new army helicopters from French firm Eurocopter alongside the MBT purchase. But Beijing has established itself as Bangladesh’s go-to ally when it comes to military procurement, and stands to be the main beneficiary as Bangladesh attempts to refurbish its army, navy and air force in spite of budgetary constraints. China has supplied armoured personnel carriers, fighter aircraft and frigates to Bangladesh within the last couple of years.

Dhaka’s limited defence funds mean that arms sales have more strategic than economic value from China’s perspective. Beijing is already bankrolling the construction of a deep-water port at Sonadia, near Cox’s Bazar, where the Bangladeshi government is also constructing an advanced air base to help it protect its offshore interests in the Bay of Bengal. China is working on similar commercial port projects in Burma, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, in what has been widely interpreted as a robust strategic challenge to Indian influence in the South Asian region.

Bangladesh’s growing dependence on Chinese weapon systems could also see the country become the first export customer after Pakistan for the Chinese-built FC-1/JF-17 and FC-20/J-10 fighter aircraft, both of which were built by China with foreign sales in mind. Beijing will be lobbying hard for Dhaka to agree to procure the jets – perhaps even offering loans to make the procurement happen – in order to give its export models some early traction.

The second-hand submarine that Bangladesh is seeking in order to further safeguard its offshore assets is also likely to be sourced from China. Despite an interest in contributing more fully to international peace-keeping missions, the protection of those offshore energy resources in the face of competition from India and Burma is Bangladesh’s prime motivation. Close ties with China will also benefit the country in its local rivalry with Burma, another Chinese ally but one that Beijing regards as more problematic than the Bangladeshis. The protection of its sometimes restive border with Burma – which also operates Chinese tanks, though not the new MBT-2000 – will be one of the main contingencies for Bangladesh’s newly procured armour.



Bangladesh Eyes China Arms | Flashpoints

 

[T.C.P]

I posted the above report to showcase some of the many mistakes misinformned western writers make of the Bangladeshi military.

For starters, our procurement budget is totally seperate from our defence budget, our procurement budget is never reavealed and mopunts to a lot more than 1.6 billion dollars.

Secondly the BA has over 500+ upgraded Chinese tanks in its arsenal, the 44 new MBT-2000s are just the first intended batch.

For those who don't know, Bangladesh's small no. of MBTS is due to the fact that MBTs cannot operate in more than 80% of our country, anything over 40 tonnes is not going to be able to operate on our soft soil(in most areas). We are a defendors Heaven and a Tankers hell. Our army mainly focuses on APCs to make our self more mechanized and versatile, the reason we have over 1500 modern APCs, we also operatre huge numbers of modern ATGMs to counter the enemy tanks in the few areas of our country where they will be able to operate.

The border region between Bangladesh and Burma is inaccessible to Tanks so the MBT-2000s will not go there.

We also have very little "budget constraints" every year we send a huge proportion of our mily budget back to the Finance ministry.

Bangladesh's mily and startegic relations with China are far greater than this writer undertsands.

The air force base in Cox's Bazaar has already been constructed and commissioned.

Also we rarely procure second hand stuff, the biggest examples would be the ex-RN ship procurements.

The US and Europe will mostly continue to be our suppliers of non weaponized mily assets, such as utility and search and rescue choppers, transport air craft, and logistical equipment.

China will continue to be our biggest supplier of large arms and our biggest development partner on our course to attain a modern defense industry.

 

[exported_kiwi]

I posted the above report to showcase some of the many mistakes misinformned western writers make of the Bangladeshi military.

For starters, our procurement budget is totally seperate from our defence budget, our procurement budget is never reavealed and mopunts to a lot more than 1.6 billion dollars.

Secondly the BA has over 500+ upgraded Chinese tanks in its arsenal, the 44 new MBT-2000s are just the first intended batch.

For those who don't know, Bangladesh's small no. of MBTS is due to the fact that MBTs cannot operate in more than 80% of our country, anything over 40 tonnes is not going to be able to operate on our soft soil(in most areas). We are a defendors Heaven and a Tankers hell. Our army mainly focuses on APCs to make our self more mechanized and versatile, the reason we have over 1500 modern APCs, we also operatre huge numbers of modern ATGMs to counter the enemy tanks in the few areas of our country where they will be able to operate.

The border region between Bangladesh and Burma is inaccessible to Tanks so the MBT-2000s will not go there.

We also have very little "budget constraints" every year we send a huge proportion of our mily budget back to the Finance ministry.

Bangladesh's mily and startegic relations with China are far greater than this writer undertsands.

The air force base in Cox's Bazaar has already been constructed and commissioned.

Also we rarely procure second hand stuff, the biggest examples would be the ex-RN ship procurements.

The US and Europe will mostly continue to be our suppliers of non weaponized mily assets, such as utility and search and rescue choppers, transport air craft, and logistical equipment.

China will continue to be our biggest supplier of large arms and our biggest development partner on our course to attain a modern defense industry.

Y'know what guys, it's kinda made me jealous of Bangladesh because somehow, their government prioritises defence and manages to find the money to ante up for it, all this while being one of the poorest countries in the world, this being said with all due respect. NZ, while not exactly poor is laying troops off, and generally not giving a shoot about proper defence spending.

 

[T.C.P]

Y'know what guys, it's kinda made me jealous of Bangladesh because somehow, their government prioritises defence and manages to find the money to ante up for it, all this while being one of the poorest countries in the world, this being said with all due respect. NZ, while not exactly poor is laying troops off, and generally not giving a shoot about proper defence spending.

Well we really don't have a choice, we are located in one of the most hostile and unpredictable regions in the world, surrounded in 3 sides by an aggressive and threatening India and on one side we share a border with the North Korea of South Asia(who is undergoing her own plans to get nukes by the way), so in my point of view we are not doing enough.

Also Our purchases and military may look big, but our spending is quite small, less than 2% of our GDP yearly goes to the military, 40-50% of which is returned to the Finance ministry. Our personnel salary expenditure is way less than that of NZ and most of our big purchases consist of very friendly Friendship prices and that too on credit.

 

[exported_kiwi]

Well we really don't have a choice, we are located in one of the most hostile and unpredictable regions in the world, surrounded in 3 sides by an aggressive and threatening India and on one side we share a border with the North Korea of South Asia(who is undergoing her own plans to get nukes by the way), so in my point of view we are not doing enough.

Also Our purchases and military may look big, but our spending is quite small, less than 2% of our GDP yearly goes to the military, 40-50% of which is returned to the Finance ministry. Our personnel salary expenditure is way less than that of NZ and most of our big purchases consist of very friendly Friendship prices and that too on credit.

Ok, fair enough and well said but still, I can't help but look at Bangladesh's purchases without a bit of jealousy and wish our leaders got their collective heads out of their you know wheres!

 

[Twinblade]

Well we really don't have a choice, we are located in one of the most hostile and unpredictable regions in the world, surrounded in 3 sides by an aggressive and threatening India.....

.

meanwhile...
India Today : India, Bangladesh settle boundary dispute

The landmark enclave deal is expected to give a new lease of life to over 50,000 inhabitants of the area who have been struggling to eke out a decent livelihood for decades.
The breakthrough was made following discussions on the 162 enclaves (51 in India and 111 in Bangladesh) between Singh and his Dhaka counterpart Sheikh Hasina. Enclaves are defined as pockets of a country's territory surrounded by the other's.


Read more at: India, Bangladesh settle boundary dispute : World: India Today

 

[T.C.P]

meanwhile...
India Today : India, Bangladesh settle boundary dispute

Something that should have been done a long time ago. Manmohan Singhs visit, really ended in failure, the main and most important issues remained unsolved, the only other thing other than the enclave deal that Inida and Bangladesh agreed on properly was on the conservation of Royal Bengal tigers.

Well but then again, with the likes of Ghore Rizvi, Shara Khatun and Dipu Moni leading the Bangladeshi delegation, I guess I should be just happy that they didn't end up selling Bangladesh to India.(Not that they haven't tried of course)

 

[Kalasag]

Well we really don't have a choice, we are located in one of the most hostile and unpredictable regions in the world, surrounded in 3 sides by an aggressive and threatening India and on one side we share a border with the North Korea of South Asia(who is undergoing her own plans to get nukes by the way), so in my point of view we are not doing enough.

Also Our purchases and military may look big, but our spending is quite small, less than 2% of our GDP yearly goes to the military, 40-50% of which is returned to the Finance ministry. Our personnel salary expenditure is way less than that of NZ and most of our big purchases consist of very friendly Friendship prices and that too on credit.

Not to sound offensive but Bangladesh has to be one of the unluckiest countries in the world based on geography alone and the rampant corruption doesn't help. Being from a small country, I applaud the the efforts to arm and defend themselves.

Sir TCP, what do you think is the main defense doctrine (lets disregard diplomatic channels) of Bangladesh in event of a war against India? Just to clarify, I believe it is unlikely (although India's government is unstable IMHO) and I wish none of it to happen. But I just can't help but see how challenging the defense of Bangladesh against India is, being virtually surrounded by India, including the Bay of Bengal where they are the dominant naval power. How will Bangladesh finish with a stalemate?

 

[skhan]

hi all...been away from this forum but couldn't wait to read whats going on in Bdesh.

Its interesting what kalasag has asked from TCP. I hope i'm not barging in but my guess to this kind of a question leads me to check back into history.

First take Cuba's example, then move to the wars pakistan had with india and how nicely china got involved. It only proves what interests chinese have.

So round it all up and now a possible future conflict here in Bangladesh, we will hang onto everybit as long as we can (we are more than 120million i'm so damn sure just visit Dhaka and you will get the picture) but diplomacy will give the last blow. Surely India wouldn't want to completely loose its eastern wing because it is always so worried about territorial integrity. Eastern frontier gone then what next? Kashmir is like another palestine already hanging on their heads for so long.

Even if this kind of scenario is unthinkable to many due this age we live in, make no mistake with the chinese they are not into liking India's advance at all and India is the most closest to challenge them leaving aside Russia to their north(not to forget Japan or S.Korea but they have to worry all the time about N.Korea).

Another likely political intervention is well expected from the west. Recently when Burma brought in S.Korean vessels for exploration right outside our shore, we waited it out a while ( in the sense no deadly action was taken by B.Navy) and then quickly fixed a naval exercise jointly with UK. Surely many know how to read that kind of a naval exercise or show of strength, again another similarity - US navy with S.Korea - naval exercise right under the watchfull eyes of the North.

India is also very protective in nature to anything foreign, surely english is widely used and accepted but anything else is closely scrutinized so any kind of aggressive move on a country that contributes largely to UN peace keeping is only going to end up western nations to get involved in the region's politics as well as India's internal matters.

This all i guess can be put as my bit but then again i'm no expert what so ever so maybe TCP can give a better answer.

 

[artstyle]

First take Cuba's example, then move to the wars pakistan had with india and how nicely china got involved. It only proves what interests chinese have.

So round it all up and now a possible future conflict here in Bangladesh, we will hang onto everybit as long as we can.

are you telling bangladesh can play a role of cuba in case of india?
i dont think so , those type of cold war conditions doesnot exist between china-india now.

India is also very protective in nature to anything foreign, surely english is widely used and accepted but anything else is closely scrutinized so any kind of aggressive move on a country that contributes largely to UN peace keeping is only going to end up western nations to get involved in the region's politics as well as India's internal matters.

what is the relation between contributing large UN peace keepers and support of west to bangladesh ?
if there should be crisis between bangladesh and india, number of peace keepers dont matter to the west, the only thing matters to the west is their "interests'..

 

[T.C.P]

Not to sound offensive but Bangladesh has to be one of the unluckiest countries in the world based on geography alone and the rampant corruption doesn't help. Being from a small country, I applaud the the efforts to arm and defend themselves.

Sir TCP, what do you think is the main defense doctrine (lets disregard diplomatic channels) of Bangladesh in event of a war against India? Just to clarify, I believe it is unlikely (although India's government is unstable IMHO) and I wish none of it to happen. But I just can't help but see how challenging the defense of Bangladesh against India is, being virtually surrounded by India, including the Bay of Bengal where they are the dominant naval power. How will Bangladesh finish with a stalemate?

Well lets start with geography, yes we are surrounded in all 3 sides by India, But Bangladesh's geography also makes us a defender's heaven. Very small air space and a very small country where 80% of the land is inaccessible to anything heavier than 40 tonnes. So you see enemy tanks don't really threaten Bangladesh much. Which is why our army has a small armoured corps and emphasises more on ATGMs and APCs, to make themselves more mechanized. This is sort of our army;s way of combatting the threat of Indian tanks.

Now one of the main scenarios which the army thinks is most likely to get Bangladesh involved in a war with India, is an all out Indo-China war where India will want to use Bangladesh's territory to transport troops and supplies, but we will refuse and India will resort to using force. The army no doubt has a thousand other scenarios for an Indo-Bangla war, but in all of them the main strategy is the same, Defend every inch of soil and hold of the Indian military as long as possible until help or International pressure leads to an end of the Indian invasion.

Of course once again I would like to state that an Indo Bangla war is highly unlikely

But in the event of such a war it is a fact that it will be India who will be invading or starting the attack, because quite frankly we are not suicidal enough to invade India. But you also have to consider how much of the Indian military will be facing us. I mean if it is even a solely Indo-Bangla war, the Indian borders with China and Pakistan will become very very tense and India will no doubt beef up mily presence in both those borders. Also International affairs have to be considered. Bangladesh has an image of being a peace loving country, secular Muslim country, so if India does invade us I think it is safe to say that they will be the ones facing condemnation and sanctions. While we will be flooded with aid and weapons from China, Pakistan and the Mid-East.

 

[T.C.P]

hi all...been away from this forum but couldn't wait to read whats going on in Bdesh.

Its interesting what kalasag has asked from TCP. I hope i'm not barging in but my guess to this kind of a question leads me to check back into history.

First take Cuba's example, then move to the wars pakistan had with india and how nicely china got involved. It only proves what interests chinese have.

So round it all up and now a possible future conflict here in Bangladesh, we will hang onto everybit as long as we can (we are more than 120million i'm so damn sure just visit Dhaka and you will get the picture) but diplomacy will give the last blow. Surely India wouldn't want to completely loose its eastern wing because it is always so worried about territorial integrity. Eastern frontier gone then what next? Kashmir is like another palestine already hanging on their heads for so long.

Even if this kind of scenario is unthinkable to many due this age we live in, make no mistake with the chinese they are not into liking India's advance at all and India is the most closest to challenge them leaving aside Russia to their north(not to forget Japan or S.Korea but they have to worry all the time about N.Korea).

Another likely political intervention is well expected from the west. Recently when Burma brought in S.Korean vessels for exploration right outside our shore, we waited it out a while ( in the sense no deadly action was taken by B.Navy) and then quickly fixed a naval exercise jointly with UK. Surely many know how to read that kind of a naval exercise or show of strength, again another similarity - US navy with S.Korea - naval exercise right under the watchfull eyes of the North.

India is also very protective in nature to anything foreign, surely english is widely used and accepted but anything else is closely scrutinized so any kind of aggressive move on a country that contributes largely to UN peace keeping is only going to end up western nations to get involved in the region's politics as well as India's internal matters.

This all i guess can be put as my bit but then again i'm no expert what so ever so maybe TCP can give a better answer.

165 million actually.

 

[Kalasag]

Well lets start with geography, yes we are surrounded in all 3 sides by India, But Bangladesh's geography also makes us a defender's heaven. Very small air space and a very small country where 80% of the land is inaccessible to anything heavier than 40 tonnes. So you see enemy tanks don't really threaten Bangladesh much. Which is why our army has a small armoured corps and emphasises more on ATGMs and APCs, to make themselves more mechanized. This is sort of our army;s way of combatting the threat of Indian tanks.

Now one of the main scenarios which the army thinks is most likely to get Bangladesh involved in a war with India, is an all out Indo-China war where India will want to use Bangladesh's territory to transport troops and supplies, but we will refuse and India will resort to using force. The army no doubt has a thousand other scenarios for an Indo-Bangla war, but in all of them the main strategy is the same, Defend every inch of soil and hold of the Indian military as long as possible until help or International pressure leads to an end of the Indian invasion.

Of course once again I would like to state that an Indo Bangla war is highly unlikely

But in the event of such a war it is a fact that it will be India who will be invading or starting the attack, because quite frankly we are not suicidal enough to invade India. But you also have to consider how much of the Indian military will be facing us. I mean if it is even a solely Indo-Bangla war, the Indian borders with China and Pakistan will become very very tense and India will no doubt beef up mily presence in both those borders. Also International affairs have to be considered. Bangladesh has an image of being a peace loving country, secular Muslim country, so if India does invade us I think it is safe to say that they will be the ones facing condemnation and sanctions. While we will be flooded with aid and weapons from China, Pakistan and the Mid-East.

Wouldn't it serve against Bangladesh and make it easier for the Indian AF to secure the skies over Bangladesh?

 

[Twinblade]

How will Bangladesh finish with a stalemate?

Cut off the Siliguri bottleneck, and try holding it while accepting massive battering on east, west and south. Hold it long enough to separate India into two at least on paper (In reality Troops will be readily maneuvering from Nepal and Bhutan) and play the diplomatic cards.

However India doesn't have much to complain from Bangladesh. Illegal immigration is on the downward spiral following erection of massive fencing (and unofficial shoot to kill policy), there is an active collaboration on terrorism and cultural bonds are strong. So no, the reasons for any kind of war are non existent.