On June 5 and 6, 2023, General Manoj Pande, the Chief of the Army Staff (COAS), travelled to Bangladesh. The Army Chief will meet with Bangladesh’s top military officials during the tour to discuss ways to strengthen defence ties between the two countries.
The COAS will inspect the 84th Long Course officer cadets’ Passing Out Parade (POP) on June 6 at the Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA), Chattogram. The Bangladesh India Friendship Trophy, established for the Best Foreign Cadet (from Friendly Foreign Countries) of the Passing Out Course from BMA, will be given out by the Army Chief at the parade. This year’s winner of the first trophy is Tanzanian officer cadet Everton.
The Bangladesh Trophy and Medal, which was established at the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun in December 2021 for the Best Foreign Cadet of the Passing Out Course, is being reciprocated by this trophy. Notably, on June 10, 2023, the Army Chief will evaluate the POP at IMA in Dehradun and award the Bangladesh Medal & Trophy.
Other engagements of the Army Chief include, formal interactions with the Chief of Army Staff, Bangladesh Army and the Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division apart from briefings by senior Bangladesh Military officers on bilateral cooperation issues In July 2022, the COAS travelled to Bangladesh for the first time since becoming the Army Chief. In April of this year, the Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh visited India and observed the graduating parade at Chennai’s Officers Training Academy. Senior military officials’ frequent visits and bilateral cooperation activities like joint military exercises help to improve military relations between the two countries.
