A five-member delegation headed by Lt. Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, Deputy Commander of the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) visited Bangladesh from November 6 to 8.
The high-level visit was held with the aim of enhancing bilateral relations and capacity building of the armed forces. In particular, mutual cooperation between the armed forces of both the countries and the enhancement of professional skills, joint efforts related to humanitarian assistance and disaster management (HADR) were discussed in this visit.
During the visit, Deputy Commander General Rudd paid a courtesy call on Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, and Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Lt. Gen. SM Kamrul Hassan.
Also, the delegation held a meeting with Lt. Gen. Mohammad Shaheenul Haque, the Commandant of National Defense College, Mirpur.
In the bilateral talks, the issue of organizing joint drill and implementation of joint training were discussed in order to create opportunities for increasing mutual cooperation.
In addition, the delegation participated in a briefing session on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Management (HADR) organized by the Army Headquarters, where the challenges and capabilities in dealing with natural disasters in the Indo-Pacific region were discussed. Disaster preparedness and capacity building initiatives and joint efforts for rapid recovery activities in times of crisis got importance in it.
The visit is expected to play an important role in strengthening bilateral relations between Bangladesh and the United States and working together to address regional security and face humanitarian challenges.
Source: ISPR
