Deputy Chief of Army Staff (Bangladesh)

Deputy Chief of Army Staff of Bangladesh Army
First DCOAS
Type	Second-in-Command of Bangladesh Army
Status	Retired
Abbreviation	DCOAS
Reports to	Chief of the Army Staff
Term length	3 years
Inaugural holder	Ziaur Rahman
Final holder	Hussain Muhammad Ershad
Unofficial names	Deputy army chief

Deputy Chief of Army Staff (DCOAS) was a military rank used by the Bangladesh Army. The DCOAS was second-in-command to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) and above the Chief of General Staff (CGS). The post was later retired and the CGS became the second-in-command of the army chief. It initially had the same two-star rank as both Shafiullah and Zia were promoted to Major General. ^[1]

History

According to Major General KM Shafiullah, the post was created because then-Major General Ziaur Rahman was aggreived at being passed over for the role of chief of army staff (COAS). ^[1] After the assassination of Sheikh Mujib, Zia was made army chief and HM Ershad became his deputy. ^[2]

List of Deputy Army Chiefs of Staff

No.	Name	Term Start	Term End	Unit of Commission
1	Major General Ziaur Rahman	7 April 1972	25 August 1975	East Bengal Regiment
2	Major General Hussain Muhammad Ershad	25 August 1975	29 April 1978	East Bengal Regiment

See also

• Chief of Defence Staff (Bangladesh)
• Chief of Army Staff (COAS)

References

1. "Zia seemed aggrieved when I was made Chief of Staff: Shafiullah". The Daily Star. 2013-06-20. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
2. Mascarenhas, Anthony (1986). Bangladesh: a legacy of blood. London: Hodder and Stoughton. ISBN   978-0-340-39420-5.