DRAFT

CHAPTER –IV

EVALUATION OF BANGLADESH’S NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEM

(Subject to change as per the development of the paper)

Security Defined

1. Until recently, the concept of security was exclusively oriented to power and emphasized
military security as its main component. Under this definition, the state was the primary actor
and the dominant interpretation was that if the state security could be ensured, the security of its
people will be automatically ascertained. Such a view, however, is narrow and inadequate,
amidst present day complexities and international politics. Lippmann (1943) says,

“A nation is secured to the extent to which it was not in danger of having to sacrifice core
values, if it wishes to avoid war, and is able, if challenged, to maintain them by such a
victory in such a war”.

Lippmann does not elaborate on what constitutes core values. Maniruzzaman (1982) seems to
attempt to remove the apparent ‘vagueness’ of Lippmann’s references to core values and he says,

“By security we mean the protection and preservation of the minimum core values of any
nation: political independence and territorial integrity”.

Here core values may be understood to be those fundamental interests of a nation for which it is
prepared to go to war. And the object and provider of security is, of course, the state. According
to Booth (1991),

“Human security is ultimately more important than state security. It thereby helps to
dislodge the state as the primary referent: as a result, states become the means and not the
ends of security”.
The former World Bank President, McNamara (1968), defined security from his perspective:

“Security is development, and without development there can be no security”.

2. The traditional definition of national security during the Cold War was ‘the protection of
the state and its vital interests from attack by other states’. Following the end of the Cold War,
the understanding of national security shifted to ‘the threats to individual citizens and to our way
of life, as well as to the integrity and interests of the state’.

3. So, it can be safely said, that a nation can be said to have assured its own security when it
is economically and technologically developed, politically stable, socio-culturally cohesive and
possess adequate military power to daunt external aggression.

Elements of National Power

4. Farlin (2014) described that a nation’s power to impose its will and to achieve its national
objectives emanates from its instruments of national power. Today, instruments of national
power include diplomacy, information, military, and economy, collectively identified by the
acronym DIME. A nation does not necessarily have to be superior in each element of the DIME
to achieve its national goals and interests. It does, however, have to be adept in managing each
element of national power synergistically in order to achieve its desired results. According to
Osmany (2008) national power can be roughly divided into five elements:

a. Geography.

b. National resources and economy.

c. Population and leadership.

d. Technology and information.

e. Military strength.

5. Geography. Napoleon once said that the security and foreign policy of a country is
determined by its geography. An understanding of the significance of various geographical
factors of size, location, climate, shape, topography and boundaries are essential while discussing
geopolitics which is the application of geography for particular purposes in relation to security.
Situated in South Asia bordering India, Myanmar, and the Bay of Bengal, Bangladesh is located
in a strategically important position. Seen from land boundary stand point, it is encircled by India
on almost three sides-west, north and east. But Bangladesh has the access to the Bay of Bengal.
It may exercise this advantage in its favour to overcome its geographical encirclement vis-a-vis
India (Osmany, 2008). This very fact of encirclement gives rise to security challenges emanating
from the external front. Having located at the geostrategic importance Bangladesh faces both
advantages and vulnerabilities.

6. National Resources and Economy. Resources imply assets and have direct influence
over economy. The economy of Bangladesh is a developing market economy. It's the 39th largest
in the world in nominal terms, and 29th largest by purchasing power parity; it is classified among
the Next Eleven emerging market middle income economies and a frontier market. In the first
quarter of 2019, Bangladesh's was the world's seventh fastest growing economy with a rate of
7.3% real GDP annual growth. The financial sector of Bangladesh is the second largest in the
subcontinent. Bangladesh is one of the world's fastest growing economy. In the decade since
2004, Bangladesh averaged a GDP growth of 6.5%, that has been largely driven by its exports of
readymade garments, remittances and the domestic agricultural sector. The country has pursued
export-oriented industrialisation, with its key export sectors include textiles, shipbuilding, fish
and seafood, jute and leather goods. It has also developed self-sufficient industries in
pharmaceuticals, steel and food processing. Bangladesh's telecommunication industry has
witnessed rapid growth over the years, receiving high investment from foreign companies.
Bangladesh also has substantial reserves of natural gas and is Asia's seventh largest gas producer.
Offshore exploration activities are increasing in its maritime territory in the Bay of Bengal. It
also has large deposits of limestone. The government promotes the Digital Bangladesh scheme as
part of its efforts to develop the country's growing information technology sector. According to
Rahmatullah (2013) Bangladesh is strategically important for the economies of Northeast India,
Nepal and Bhutan, as Bangladeshi seaports provide maritime access for these landlocked regions
and countries. China also views Bangladesh as a potential gateway for its landlocked southwest,
including Tibet, Sichuan and Yunnan.
7. Population and Leadership. A large population may be a source of weakness or
strength in the modern world. On the other hand, leadership plays a vital role in shaping the
strength of population, development and security of the country. Making organizations more
innovative, responsive and responsible requires focusing on a number of leadership, power and
influence issues. These issues are critical in coping with the strategic environment with all its
VUCA characteristics, and strategic leader performance requirements in that environment. The
issues influence developing teams at the strategic level, as well as managing organizational
processes linked to values and ethics, organizational culture, visioning and the management of
change. Bangladesh as a nation-state draws its power mainly from its people and their coherence.
Amongst the people, about 98 percent are ethnic Bengali and Bangla speaking. Of them, 88
percent are Muslims and 10.5 percent are Hindus. The remaining are the small ethnic groups,
majority of them live in CHT. Bangladesh, unfortunately, does not have a national strategy and
so the comprehensive security policy; perhaps her leaders, could not foresee the needs in correct
perspectives.

8. Technology and Information. Technology may be said to be a nation’s capacity to

convert the endowed resources into actual power. It can be applied in the economic and
industrial sphere which means better machines and better and abundant products. No nation in
the present world can become a great power unless it has the capacity to produce tremendous
quantities of goods and services. It can be safely said that those countries which have both
important raw materials and developed technologies for processing are fully developed and
powerful countries. Technology helps a nation to have stronger economy, stronger industrial
base, stronger system of transport and communication, stronger military, greater capacity to win
war and influence nations during peace. In Bangladesh recent efforts had been undertaken to
promote a “Digital Bangladesh”, under which more and more government programmers are
introduced and made fully operational. Bangladesh's economic reforms and opening up, the
growth of the media, cable television, the rapid expansion of the cellular phone network, where
the subscriber base recently crossed 75 million, and technological improvements and reforms in
the communications and the ICT sectors, constitute significant positive developments, as do
technological developments in the agro‐processing, ship‐building, pharmaceutical, frozen food,
light industry, leather, shoes, RMG and textile sectors.
9. Military Strength. Scientific and technological development is the sustaining factor
for the armed forces without which the military strength cannot be dependable and self-reliant.
Indigenous capacity to produce different kinds of modern and sophisticated weapons is
necessary, otherwise the nation cannot sustain prolonged warfare. Consequently, notwithstanding
their technological backwardness, many countries have acquired military strength by buying
weapons from the advanced countries which has contributed to their military might. In the
beginning, most of the states increase their strength in this way and later on build up their
technological capability for defense production and forces. Military strength is relevant both in
war and peace. No one can win a war without a strong military base. In peace time also,
diplomacy is significantly affected by the leverages that rivals wield owing to their respective
military might. Military strength involves two main things-armed forces and weapons. To
analyze their role in national power one has to take into consideration their size and quantity,
their quality and technological sophistication, their mobility and deployment, their leadership
and morale. According to the Global Firepower (GFP) Index for 2020, Bangladesh with a
significant upward improvement is ranked 46 out of 138 powerful military in the world.
Bangladesh’s two next-door neighbours India and Myanmar have been ranked 4th and 35th
respectively in the GFP Index 2020. The GFP ranking is based on each nation’s potential war-
making capability across land, sea and air with conventional weapons. Forces Goal 2030 is the
current long-term modernization programme of the Bangladesh Armed Forces which began in
2009. The primary focus of the modernization programme is to reform the military organization
and training, expand the size of the forces, acquire modern weapons, and develop indigenous
defense industries.

Contingent Factors for the National Security of Bangladesh

10. According to Khaled (2020), factors which need to be considered for the national security
of Bangladesh are political, economic, demographic security, societal security and energy
security.

Key Factors Affecting the National Security of Bangladesh

11. Key factors affecting the national security of Bangladesh are water issues, international
terrorism, trafficking, translational crime and infectious diseases (Khaled, 2020).
Core National Values of Bangladesh

12. According to the Preamble of the Constitution of Bangladesh core national values are
democracy, nationalism, socialism and secularism.

National Security Objectives of Bangladesh.

13. National security objectives of Bangladesh are uphold constitution, independence and
sovereignty, augment national security, promote international peace. The security objectives
calls for military and non-military security strategies for the management of national security.
These are achieved by means of policies pursued without any dictates from external source(s).
According to Kabir (2000) national security objectives of Bangladesh are:

a. Defend its territory; safeguard the state structures and institutions.

b. Avoid intra-state and inter-state armed conflicts.

c. Maintain an efficient and stable democratic mode of governance.

d. Improve the standard of living of the common man in an environment-

friendly ambience.

National Interest

14. According to Khaled (2020), national interest of Bangladesh are:

a. Friendly relation with neighbours.

b. Partnership with regional and global countries.

c. Participation under United Nations.

National Security Priorities

15. According to Khaled (2020), national security priorities of Bangladesh are:

a. Sovereignty and territorial integrity.

b. Socio political stability.

c. Economic prosperity.

d. Environmental protection.

e. Global and regional peace.

National Security Principles

16. According to Khaled (2020), national security principles of Bangladesh are:

a. Safeguarding the independence and sovereignty.

b. Meeting all domestic and translational non-traditional threats.

c. Incorporating of all paramilitary and auxiliary forces.

d. Compliant of all treaty obligations.

e. Subordinate to national security policy.

National Security Policy of Bangladesh

17. National Security Policy/Strategy. In the context of Bangladesh, the national security
policies remains largely undefined. The national security strategy on which the policies were
formulated so far had been pursued in cognizance with the foreign policy of the country
pronounced in Article 25 of the constitution. The security strategy of the past, which Bangladesh
pursued for security options, can be summarized as follows:

a. To build up regional harmony and cohesion.

b. To represent in international forum as equal sovereign.

 c. To settle disputes through diplomacy.

d. To face the non-traditional threats domestically.

18. Foreign Policy Objectives of Bangladesh. Most nations are heirs to the set of beliefs
that are embraced in the form of national ideology and have been incorporated in the
Constitution. Article 25, of the Constitution states,

“The State shall base its international relations on the principles of respect for
national sovereignty and equality, noninterference in the internal affairs of other
countries, peaceful settlement of international disputes, and respect for international
law and the principles enunciated in the United Nations Charter, and on the basis of
those principles shall –

(a) strive for the renunciation of the use of force in international relations and for general
and complete disarmament;

(b) uphold the right of every people freely to determine and build up its own social,
economic and political system by ways and means of its own free choice; and

(c) support oppressed peoples throughout the world waging a just struggle against
imperialism, colonialism or racialism.”

There are four basic principles of Bangladesh foreign policy. They are given below:

a. Friendship to all and malice towards none.

b. Respect to the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of other states.

c. Non-intervention in the domestic matter of any state.

d. World Peace.

Bangladesh's National Security System

19. In Bangladesh, The President is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces and the
Prime Minister (PM) holds the defence minister’s portfolio. For the past decades of
parliamentary governance, prime ministers have kept the defence portfolio to themselves and
have commanded the forces through the ‘Armed Forces Division’ of the Prime Minister’s
secretariat.

20. National Defence Policy. Draft of the National Defense Policy-2018 was approved
by the cabinet of Bangladesh on 19 March 2019 outlining the armed forces role during wartime
and beyond. The approval was given in the regular meeting of the cabinet held at Prime
Minister’s Office (PMO) with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair. The policy has been
prepared with a vision to build a people oriented, modern and professionally competent armed
forces to protect the country’s independence and sovereignty and ensure public welfare. The
policy is a broad based policy which is based on 1974 policy outlined by Father of the nation
Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The policy has defined the national goals, objectives,
national interests, country’s core defense principles and outlined the armed forces capacity and
issues related to their wartime deployment and secondary tasks beyond war. The policy
suggested formation of national higher defense authorities such as national committee on defense
affairs and cabinet committee to be headed by the Prime Minister and the defense minister
respectively. The policy also defined military and non-military relation and relation between
military and civilians and media. Under the policy, all paramilitary and auxiliary forces will
come under the operational command of the armed forces during war or any crisis period.

21. National Committee on Security Affairs (NCSA). NCSA is the highest policy-
making authority on national security of the Government of Bangladesh. Headed by the Prime
Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the committee was formed in March 2019 after the draft
‘National Defence Policy-2018' was approved by the Cabinet of Bangladesh. The committee
consists of 27 members. The NCSA comprises the Prime Minister, ministers of Home Affairs,
Information, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Finance, Foreign Affairs, Planning,
Industries, Commerce, Cabinet Secretary, Principal secretary to the Prime Minister's Office,
Chief of Army Staff, Chief of Air Staff, Chief of Naval Staff, Security Advisor to the Prime
Minister, Foreign Secretary, Defence Secretary, Secretaries of Public Security Division and
Security Services Division at the Home Ministry, Finance Secretary, Law Secretary, Inspector
General of Police, Principal Staff Officer, Director General of National Security Intelligence,
Director General of the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence and Director General of
Border Guards Bangladesh and Director General of Bangladesh Coast Guard. The main
functions of the NCSA are:

a. Evaluation and review of national and international security situations and other
issues related to state security and defense affairs.

b. Prepare recommendations for the cabinet.

c. Direct the authorities concerned to take steps.

22. Defence Committee of the Cabinet (DCC). It is the highest level committee on
defence matters comprising number of designated members of the cabinet. This committee is
responsible for conducting the general affairs of the war. The committee is yet to be constituted
in Bangladesh.

23. Parliamentary Committees for Defence. Bangladesh Constitution, vide its article
76(2), authorises Parliamentary Committees for Defence and Home Affairs. Every new
Parliament appoints these committees from its members to examine related matters of public
interest and other ministerial activities as and when referred to. However, it may be noted that
NCSA and the Parliamentary Standing Committee would not run counter to each other; rather
they should complement each other.

24. Ministry of Defence (MOD) and Armed Forces Division (AFD). The higher defence
organizations in Bangladesh are arranged in two parallels; the MOD and the AFD. The MOD is
responsible for the overall defence of Bangladesh vide the Business Schedule-1 of the Rules of
Business 1975 (revised up to March 1996) and performs the general defence functions including
the budget. AFD is a Division under Prime Minister’s Office. This Division enjoys ministerial
status and also has parallel functions with MOD for Armed Forces of Bangladesh. This Division
is a Joint Coordinating Headquarters for three services and also shall function as Joint Command
Centre (JCC) during war situation. During peace time, this Division coordinate and accord
government approval on matters related to operations, plans, training, intelligence, civil military
relations, administrations and logistics. AFD also coordinates and communicates issues between
other ministries and Armed Forces of Bangladesh. AFD is headed by Principal Staff Officer
(PSO), an officer of the rank of Lieutenant General with the status and authority of a Senior
Secretary of Bangladesh Government.

25. Ministry of Home Affairs (MOHA). MOHA was first set up in 1971, with the
formation of the government-in-exile during the War of Liberation. MOHA is an interior
ministry. It is mainly responsible for the maintenance of internal security and domestic policy. In
June 2016, the Government of Bangladesh divided the MOHA into two Divisions, Public
Security Division and the Security Service Division. Police, Border Guard Bangladesh, Ansar
and Village Defence Party, Coast Guard and the International Crimes Tribunal would operate
under the Public Security Division. Department of Immigration and Passports, Jail Department,
Fire Services and Civil Defence, Department of Narcotics Control, and National
Telecommunications and Monitoring Centre would function under the Security Services
Division.

Bibliography

1. Booth, Ken (1991), “Security and Emancipation”, Review of International Studies, Vol.
17, No 4, 1991, p.319.

2. Farlin, Commander Jeff (2014) “Instruments of National Power: How America Earned
Independence”, USAWC Strategy Research Project, Class of 2014.

3. Kabir, Humayun Mohammad (2000), “National Security of Bangladesh in the Twenty-

first Century” Academic Press and Publishers Limited, Dhaka, 2000, P.267.

4. Khaled, Sheikh Mamun (2020), “Nationl Security of Bangladesh”, Keynote Speech,

National Defence College, Mirpur, Dhaka, 05 April, 2020.
5. Lippmann, Walter (1943), “US Foreign Policy: Shield of the Republic” p.51.
6. Maniruzzaman,Talukder (1982), “The Security of Small States in the Third World”,
Canberra Papers on Strategy and Defence, No. 25, 1982, p.15.

7. McNamara, Robert (1968), The Essence of Security (London: Hodder and Stoughton,
1968):149-150.
8. Osmany, R Mufleh (2008), “Whither National Security Bangladesh 2007”, The
University Press Limited, Dhaka, 2008.

9. Rahmatullah, M (20 March 2013), "Regional Transport Connectivity: Its current state".
The Daily Star.

Internet and Others

10. “Constitution of Bangladesh”, Ministry of Law and Parliamentary Affairs, Article 25,
Clause 2 was added by the Proclamations Order No. 1 of 1977.
11. “Strategic Leadership and Decision Making”, National Defence University, USA at
http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/ awcgate/ndu/strat-ldr-dm/pt4ch17.html.