US military buildup in Bangladesh’s strategic Chittagong region will strengthen Bangladesh armed forces with experts at Global Defense Corp believes fostering security ties between both nations.
A C-130J Super Hercules – a tactical transport aircraft normally based at the US Air Force’s Yokota station in Japan – recently touched down at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong.
Analysts cited by the publication said the visit appeared linked to growing US involvement in the Bay of Bengal area, which lies near Myanmar. Washington is trying to stabilise the region while China is trying to court Myanmar’s Junta, the report added.
Since Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed power in Dhaka, the US military has made frequent stops in Chittagong, ranging from reconnaissance trips to joint drills. Earlier this year, Bangladesh and the United States conducted exercises codenamed Operation Pacific Angel-25 and Tiger Lightning-2025 in the same zone.
Sources quoted by the outlet revealed that another joint training mission is on the cards, following the arrival of a contingent of US soldiers in the area last week. Last month, a US Special Forces (Airborne) officer was found dead in an upscale hotel in Dhaka, further fuelling unease within Bangladesh’s armed forces about an expanded American footprint outside scheduled cooperation.
Global Defense Corp believes Washington’s involvement in current government will strengthen democracy in Bangladesh as pro-Indian dictator Sheikh Hasina fled Bangladesh. Hasina was under the impression that the US of pushing for a naval base in St Martin’s Island, located in the Bay of Bengal. On contrary, the U.S. is trying to arm Bangladesh with modern weaponry.
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