The Principal Staff Officer (PSO) is the head of the Armed Forces Division (AFD) of Bangladesh. The position is held by a three-star lieutenant general of the Bangladesh Army, who exercises day-to-day command and control over the Bangladesh Armed Forces on behalf of the Prime Minister, who serves as the de facto Supreme Commander and holds the portfolio of the Ministry of Defence. The PSO holds the status and authority equivalent to a senior secretary of the Government of Bangladesh and heads the AFD, which functions as the principal national command authority and joint coordinating headquarters for the Army, Navy, and Air Force.[1][2][3]
The AFD operates from Dhaka Cantonment and enjoys ministerial status, performing functions parallel to the Ministry of Defence in peacetime while serving as the Joint Command Centre (JCC) during wartime. The current incumbent is Lieutenant General Mir Mushfiqur Rahman, who assumed office on 22 February 2026.[4][5]
History
The origins of the Principal Staff Officer position trace back to the post-independence period. In December 1978, the Armed Forces Division was established as the Commander-in-Chief's Secretariat under the Ministry of Defence to centralize command and control of the armed forces.[6]ref name="DailyStar"> "Bangladesh Army Chief Of General Staff Lt Gen Mainur..."The Daily Star. 23 February 2026. Retrieved 29 March 2026.</ref>
On 10 November 1986, it was renamed the Supreme Command Headquarters. In 1989, it was designated a full Division and separated from the Ministry of Defence under the Rules of Business. Following the restoration of parliamentary democracy in 1991, it was restructured and renamed the Armed Forces Division (AFD) and brought under the Prime Minister's Office by October 1994. The Table of Organization & Equipment (TO&E) was revised in 1992 (introducing four directorates) and again on 3 June 2014 (adding a fifth directorate to reach the current structure).[7][6]
Organization
The AFD comprises the Principal Staff Officer's Office, five directorates (Operations & Plans, Training, Civil-Military Relations, Administration & Logistics, and Intelligence), and an Administrative Company.[8][9]
List of Principal Staff Officers
The following is a list of officers who have served as Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division of Bangladesh since its establishment in 1972.
Principal Staff Officers of Bangladesh Armed Forces Division
↑"About AFD". Armed Forces Division. Retrieved 29 March 2026.
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