This article needs additional citations for verification .(November 2021) |
বাংলাদেশ মিলিটারি একাডেমি | |
Motto | চির উন্নত মম শির |
---|---|
Motto in English | Ever High is My Head |
Type | Military Academy |
Established | 1974 |
Affiliation | |
Dean | Brigadier general Kamal Mamun,BAMS, ndc, psc, G |
Director | Brigadier general Md Luftor Rahman, psc,PhD |
Commandant | Major General Sahidul Imran, ndc, afwc, psc |
Academic staff | 600 – 700 (both civilian and military) |
Undergraduates | 1,550 – 1,600 |
Location | , , 22°25′24″N91°45′10″E / 22.42333°N 91.75278°E |
Campus | Suburb, 1,850 acres (750 ha) |
Colours | Red and green |
Website | bma.army.mil.bd |
Bangladesh Military Academy (BMA) [1] is the military training institute for the officer cadets of Bangladesh Army. It is located in Bhatiary, near Chittagong Hill Tracts, in the Chittagong District of south-east Bangladesh, about 13 kilometers north of Chittagong. The academy is situated on the slopes of the Sitakunda hill ranges and the shore of the Bay of Bengal. [2] [3]
Following the independence of Bangladesh with the break-up of Pakistan in the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971 , Bangladesh Military Academy was established in January 1974 for training the officers of the Army. The Military Academy was opened by the initiative of the then Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. [4] [5] The academy was initially raised at Cumilla Cantonment on 29 November 1973 and later relocated to Bhatiari, Chattogram in 1976. The academy was awarded the National Standard in 1979.
The Bangladesh Military Academy provides training to the officers of the Bangladesh Army. From 1983, the officers of the Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Air Force must take three months training from the academy. [6] [7]
The academy chose a verse by national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, Chiro Unnata Momo Shir (translation: ever high is my head) as its motto. Regular long courses commenced from 1978. The first batch of officers of Bangladesh Army graduated from the academy on 11 January 1975. It is affiliated with the ARTDOC.
Entrants must be higher secondary school graduates. [8] They must be at least 160 centimetres (63 in) tall, weigh at least 49.8 kilograms (110 lb), and be unmarried. [9] Selection is highly competitive. Candidates must undergo a rigorous investigation of their background and educational performance, a complete physical exam, an initial interview, a written test, and an intensive three day examination/interview. [10] The selection process is intended to be non-political. Overwhelmingly, those accepted are disinterested in or disdainful of politics. [11]
The majority of cadets are from middle class or lower middle class families. [12] Eighty percent have rural origins. [13] Most, however, attended well-regarded urban schools or cadet colleges. [11]
Foreign officers regularly attend one-year courses at the academy. [14] In 2019, about ten percent of the graduating class were from abroad, mostly from Saudi Arabia. [15]
BMA provides military and academic training and character building. The academy primarily trains men and women to be commissioned into the Bangladesh Army. In addition, the academy conducts and orientation course for Bangladesh Civil Service (BCS) officers, officer cadets and midshipmen of the Bangladesh Air Force and Navy respectively, and Pre-Commission Training for professor/teacher under-officers of Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC). Long Course cadets graduating from this academy fall under Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) curriculum. The academy has the intention of fostering and inculcating those attributes in an Officer Cadet (OC) which will ensure his continuous and progressive development as a regular officer in the Bangladesh Army, and developing future officers for the Bangladesh Army by training the Officer Cadets in a way that they can make decisions as and when required by the military profession.
The training courses run at BMA are as follow:
This training is mainly conducted to prepare the cadets of long courses [16] for qualifying in the Bachelor of Arts (BA)/Bachelor of Science (BSc) (Pass Course) examinations. From 67 BMA Long Course, there will be a common degree. That is Bachelor of Defence Studies (BDS). From 75 BMA Long Course there are 8 subjects to study: International relations, BBA, Economics, Physics, Computer Science, & Engineering, Electrical, Electronics & Communications Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, and Civil Engineering. The academic training also aimed at developing communication skill both in English and Bangla through oral and written expression, create awareness of current national, regional and international affairs, widen mental horizon and sense of reasoning.
BMA has two publications namely CHIRO UNNOTO MOMO SHIR (EVER HIGH IS MY HEAD) is BMA magazine and PADAKHKHEP (ONWARD MARCH) a professional journal. Both the publications published once in a year.
The academy provides a three-year academic programme combined with intense military training. It is affiliated with the Bangladesh University of Professionals and Military Institute of Science and Technology that provides 4-year bachelor's degrees. Every cadet has to study Military Science in this institution. They have to learn every thing practically. [17] [18]
The Bangladesh Armed Forces are the military forces of the People's Republic of Bangladesh. They consist of the three uniformed military services: the Bangladesh Army, the Bangladesh Navy and the Bangladesh Air Force. The Armed Forces are under the jurisdiction of Ministry of Defence of the Government of Bangladesh, and are directly administered by the Armed Forces Division of the Prime Minister's Office. The President of Bangladesh serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Bangladesh has the third-largest defence budget in South Asia, The Bangladeshi military is the 37th strongest in the world and the third most powerful military force in South Asia. Border Guard Bangladesh and Bangladesh Coast Guard are under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Home Affairs. during peacetime, but during wartime they fall under the command of Bangladesh Army and Bangladesh Navy respectively.
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Bangladesh's military history is intertwined with the history of a larger region, including present-day India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Myanmar. The country was historically part of Bengal – a major power in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
The Bangladesh Naval Academy is a military academy for the officer cadets of Bangladesh Navy. It is situated at the mouth of the Karnaphuli river at Patenga, Chittagong District, Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh University of Professionals is a public university in Bangladesh, located in Mirpur Cantonment, Dhaka. It is the University of Bangladesh affiliated with University Grant Commission. It was established under the Bangladesh University of Professionals Act, 2009.
Chowdhury Hasan Sarwardy, Bir Bikram, SBP, BSP, OSP, ndc, psc is a retired lieutenant general of Bangladesh Army and former commandant of National Defence College. He previously served as GOC of Army Training and Doctrine Command (ARTDOC).
The Bangladesh National Cadet Corps (BNCC) is a tri-services volunteer reserve defence force comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force wing for school, college and university students. It is the second line of defence headed by Bangladesh Army.
The Crack Platoon was a special commando team of the Mukti Bahini. which was formed in 1971, during the Bangladesh Liberation War. It was formed by young members of the Mukti Bahini, which carried out commando operations in Dhaka and its surroundings and led by Major Khaled Mosharraf. The commandos were mostly students and civilians, who received guerrilla training later in the training camps for Mukti Bahini and then engaged in battle against the Pakistani Army.
ARTDOC is a research-oriented formation in the Bangladesh Army. Its headquarters is located in Momenshahi Cantonment, Mymensingh. It is charged with overseeing training evaluation and reforms; weapon, equipment and force modernization; development of concepts and doctrine revision. It consists of its headquarters, battle group and all the training institutions of the Bangladesh Army. The first General Officer Commanding of ARTDOC was Major General Muhammad Zia-Ur-Rahman, ndc, psc,
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Aziz Ahmed is a retired Bangladeshi four star general who was Chief of Army Staff (CAS) of the Bangladesh Army, from 25 June 2018 to 24 June 2021. He was succeeded by General SM Shafiuddin Ahmed on 24 June 2021.
Abul Hossain, ndc, psc, is a retired lieutenant general of Bangladesh Army. He served as the Director General of Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB). Before that, he served as military secretary to President Md Abdul Hamid and as Engineer-in-Chief at Army Headquarters, Commandant of Military Institute of Science and Technology, Chief Engineer of Dhaka City Corporation, Director of Special Works Organization and Director of Works and Chief Engineer of the Bangladesh Army. He was also ex-officio Chairman of Shimanto Bank which is a sister concern of BGB Welfare Trust.
S. M. Matiur Rahman OSP (BAR), SUP, afwc, psc, is a retired three-star-rank Bangladesh Army officer, a lieutenant general. He was general officer commanding, Army Training and Doctrine Command, Mymensingh Cantonment. Prior to join ARTDOC, he was GOC of 24 Infantry Division and area commander of Chattogram area. Earlier, he was adjutant general of the Bangladesh Army. He was also vice chairman of Trust Bank's board of directors. He served as general officer commanding (GOC) of 55 Infantry Division & Area Commander of Jessore Area. He also served as the director of Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Bureau (CTIB) of Directorate General of Forces Intelligence. He served as commander of 46th Independent Infantry Brigade. He also served as additional director general (operations) of the Rapid Action Battalion.
Mohammad Saiful Abedin, BSP, ndc, psc is a retired major general in the Bangladesh Army. He was General officer commanding (GOC) of the 24th Infantry Division and Area Commander, Chattogram Area. He is the former director general of DGFI. He previously served as Commandant of Defence Services Command & Staff College (DSCSC). He was also the Commandant of Bangladesh Infantry Regimental Centre (BIRC). He also served in 71 Mechanized Brigade as Commander.
Sheikh Abu Naser (1928–1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and the only brother of the first President of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the uncle of the former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Martyr Lt. Anwar Hossain was a Bangladesh Army officer who fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War. He was killed in the war and posthumously awarded Bir Uttom, the second highest gallantry award in Bangladesh.
Sheikh Mohammad Shafiuddin Ahmed is a retired Bangladeshi four star general who was Chief of Army Staff (CAS) of the Bangladesh Army, from 24 June 2021 to 23 June 2024. Prior to his appointment as CAS, he served as the quartermaster general (QMG) of Bangladesh Army as a lieutenant general. In his 40 year long military career he has also served as director general of Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS), Director of Military Training (DMT), besides commanding an infantry brigade and an infantry division.
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