BANGLADESH ARMY CHIEF ACKNOWLEDGES NEED TO IMRPOVE

C O N F I D E N T I A L DHAKA 000172

SIPDIS

TO PEACE CORPS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/09/2019
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREF PREL SENV EAID BG
SUBJECT: BANGLADESH ARMY CHIEF ACKNOWLEDGES NEED TO IMRPOVE
CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONS

REF: DHAKA 106

Classified By: Ambassador James F. Moriarty. Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)

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SUMMARY
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1. (C) Chief of Army Staff General Moeen told the visiting
head of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security (APCSS) that the
civil-military relationship in Bangladesh required
improvement. APCSS Director LTG (Ret.) Ed Smith replied that
developing proper civil-military relations was a challenge
for all countries. He suggested that Bangladesh could send
civil-military delegations to APCSS for coursework that would
help them better work together on disaster management and
other issues.

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CIVIL-MILITARY RELATIONSHIP NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
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2. (C) Since winning independence in 1971, Bangladeshi
politicians and military leaders have lived uneasily with one
another. The young democracy's brief history has included
military rule and unelected civilian governments backed by
the military. Although Bangladesh recently concluded a
peaceful transfer of power from a military-supported
Caretaker Government to an elected government, few efforts
are underway to address the underlying causes of
civil-military tension in Bangladesh (reftel). The Hasina
government is still grappling with that issue.


3. (C) In a February 2 meeting, Bangladesh Chief of Army
Staff General Moeen Uddin Ahmed told LTG (Ret.) Smith the
civil-military relationship in Bangladesh needed to be
improved by bringing both sides together through ongoing
education such as that provided by APCSS. LTG (Ret.) Smith
told Gen Moeen that the trend in U.S. military schools was to
increase the number of civilian participants to as much as
one- third total participants to create a more conducive
environment for exchanges of ideas. Ambassador Moriarty
stressed to Gen Moeen the need to get civilians involved with
the military to help "demystify" the two cultures.


4. (C) Gen Moeen said the military-run Bangladesh National
Defence College already offered seven hours of disaster
management that included instruction on how to work
effectively with civilians. He added that the Bangladesh
military did not have enough resources to address all types
of disasters in Bangladesh (i.e. cyclone, earthquake, etc.),
making further improvements in civilian-military relations of
utmost import. LTG (Ret.) Smith explained that politicians
who took APCSS courses learned about the military culture and
vice versa, which helped both sides work together when
disaster strikes.

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COMMENT: THE U.S. CAN HELP
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5. (C//NF) Though the December 29 Parliamentary election was
a success, the military influence on the prior Caretaker
Government and the politicians' suspicions regarding the
military's intent cast a shadow over the current
civil-military relationship. Improving the relationship is
critical to Bangladesh's future political stability and
therefore in the USG interests. Confidence building measures
are a critically needed first step. APCSS courses can play
an important role in such confidence building, and Post will
work with LTG (Ret.) Smith to design programs that will help
improve civilian control over the military in Bangladesh.
PASI