With the Compliments of Director Education BANGLADESH ARMY JOURNAL 60TH ISSUE DECEMBER 2016 Chief Editor Lt Col Md Jubayer Rahman Akhand, AEC Editors Lt Col Mohammad Monjur Morshed, psc, AEC Maj Md Tariqul Islam, AEC All rights reserved by the publisher. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without prior permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed in the articles of this publication are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the policy and views, official or otherwise, of the Army Headquarters. Contents Editorial i PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION (PME) – A CONCEPT NEEDS MORE 1-10 ATTENTION IN MILITARY Brigadier General Sarkar Muhammad Shamsuddin, ndc, psc SWARNO DWEEP – A TREASURE ISLAND FOR BANGLADESH ARMY 11-24 Brigadier General Md Main Uddin, psc, G TRENDS OF INFANTRY BRIGADES’ OPERATIONS – IMPERATIVES FOR 25-38 BANGLADESH ARMY Colonel Husain Muhammad Masihur Rahman, SPP, afwc, psc BANGLADESH ARMY: A COMPLEMENTARY ORGAN OF THE GOVERNMENT IN 39-50 PURSUANCE OF NATIONAL INTEREST Colonel A F M Atiqur Rahman, afwc, psc, G EXPECTATIONS FROM THE PEACEKEEPERS VERSUS REALITY ON GROUND: 51-63 WAYS AHEAD FOR BANGLADESH Colonel Md Aftab Hossain, afwc, psc TIME IN MILITARY UNDERTAKINGS 64-76 Lieutenant Colonel M M Moazzem Hossain, SUP, afwc, psc, Engrs EDUCATIONAL PLANNING AND ADMINISTRATION – A COMMAND RESPONSIBILITY 77-91 OF BANGLADESH ARMY Lieutenant Colonel Md Masud Rana, psc. AEC MILITARY PERSPECTIVE OF SOCIAL MEDIA: THREAT AND OPPORTUNITY 92-105 Lieutenant Colonel Md Khalid Saifullah, psc, Sigs DEVELOPING THE SENSE OF RESPONSIBILITY IN ALL RANKS & FILES OF 106-117 BANGLADESH ARMY – A WAY FORWARD Lieutenant Colonel Md Shafiqul Islam, psc, BIR Editorial It is always a pleasure to present the latest issue of Bangladesh Army Journal covering the contemporary trends and perspectives of military profession. The articles of 60th issue give insights into a wide panorama of military profession with vivid pictures on military operations, administrations, UN peacekeeping, professional military education, organizational and national interest, social media, etc. We do harbour an optimistic view that the thought provoking articles of this issue would provide our readers some enjoyable moments of reading. The present world is progressing in multidimensional forms and ways. Knowledge on various disciplines has to be explored to keep pace with this ever advancing world. In this perspective, our valued writers of this journal continue to take us to the frontiers of new possibilities and promote farsighted concepts exploring the untrodden arena of professional life. As a result, this journal reflects as the mirror of the gradual professional development, progress and prosperity of Bangladesh Army by the continual zeal and enthusiasm of our inquisitive writers. Finally, we are truly grateful to all the writers who contributed for this issue despite their busy schedule of professional commitments. We would feel amply rewarded if the readers find the issue worth reading and satisfying. Apart from this, we would like to thank all concerned for cooperating us in publishing the journal. We are optimistic that the writers would keep sharing their ever flowing fountains of ideas in the future issues to produce even better articles for our esteemed readers. i Bangladesh Army Journal December 2016 PROFESSIONAL MILITARY EDUCATION (PME) - A CONCEPT NEEDS MORE ATTENTION IN MILITARY Brigadier General Sarkar Muhammad Shamsuddin, ndc, psc Introduction The education, designed to ensure the mastery of a body of specialized knowledge in the multi-disciplinary fields in ensuring growth of professionalism in the military, can enable military officers, irrespective of levels, to undertake functions within and beyond the Armed Forces. The firm grasp of such education, also termed as Professional Military Education, is vital. The learning obtained through PME shapes the activities of a nation’s military to interpret war and other conflicts, and enables in performing the roles as part of multi-disciplinary national and international efforts. The composition and attribution of such education play an important role in the formation of specialized military competencies that permit the military to perform its all functions under various odds and challenges. Although Bangladesh is a small developing nation in South Asia, she has her huge strategic contexts and concerns not only as the largest contributor in peacekeeping throughout the world, but also for the changing security perceptions of 21st century with the balance tilting towards the non-traditional security concerns/threats. Non-traditional security concerns/threats, for Bangladesh to be more concerned in particular, are the climate change, environment, radicalization /extremism and water security. Thus, PME demands due priority for Bangladesh too. Besides, it is also an obligation of military authority from at least ethical point of view to provide required education to its members to develop their full potentials – even to be materialized after retirement from the service. The term ‘Professional Military Education (PME)’ is not still in much use in Bangladesh Armed Forces, neither the concept is yet clear to many. But the concept of PME and its framework is prevalent and very much in use in the military in the name of Higher Education. Although Higher Education is yet to be institutionalized within the ambit of goals and objectives of the Armed Forces, its strategic ambits and paradigm needs an assessment. This paper aims to discuss the concept of PME and its significance, take a look at the PME structure of Bangladesh Armed Forces and suggest some ideas of looking ahead. This paper will mainly deal with the PME for the military officers only. Understanding the Concept of PME and Its Significance With whatever variations Professional Military Education (PME) may have been defined, fundamentally it entails the ‘education and training’ needed in military for obtaining optimal level of professional mastery by its personnel for performing their desired roles in military and services beyond the military. Unless the purpose of PME is well understood in its true meaning and implications, it will be difficult to a great extent to really understand the concept of PME. It will 1 Professional Military Education. be difficult to really differentiate between Military Training and Professional Military Education looking at the purpose in its simple meaning. In simple term, the purpose of any military training is also the same as stated above. But the concept of PME entails much deeper understanding of the optimal level of professional mastery needed for performing the desired roles; what the desired roles are; and what the education needs are in achieving the optimal level of professional mastery/professionalism. Ascertaining optimal level of professionalism/professional mastery, by any means, is extremely difficult. In simple term, optimal level of professionalism in military widely and generally refers to having the best-trained officers and men with full vigour and values to be proficiently employed in military operations. But such a definition is no more complete in today’s context. Study conducted on US military’s performance indicates that, in the most important area of professional expertise - the connection of war to policy, of operations to achieve the objectives of the nation - the American military has been found wanting. The excellence of the American military in operations, logistics, tactics, weaponry, and battle has been manifested for a generation or more, but not so with strategy. That may have led the 1986 Goldwater-Nichols Act, the Skelton Panel and the 2010 follow up study of USA to have clearly outlined the desired goal for PME that is the intellectual agility to develop leaders by conveying a broad body of professional knowledge and developing the habits of mind including intellectual curiosity, coupled with openness to new ideas. US Congress in its Goldwater-Nichols Act has defined “value” in terms of senior military leaders as intellectually agility from being operationally proficient to have the knowledge and education to be strategic, critical thinkers. In the words of Carl von Clausewitz, “...war is not merely an act of policy, but a true political instrument, a continuation of political intercourse, carried on with other means.” Clausewitz continued with the important notion that the political object is the goal, war is the means of reaching it, and the means can never be considered in isolation from their purpose. These ideas reflect a rational connection between policy and military activities, which pertains to interpreting war and other types of conflict, as well as comprehending the linkages of these military activities to the state. That is why, optimal level of military professionalism mainly depends on the country’s political, economic and strategic contexts, its national security perceptions, its political system, its role in the international arena and its looks towards future. As all these factors are subject to change depending on changing global environment and strategic context, optimal level of professionalism may thus vary depending on the country to country and time. Samuel P Huntington in his seminal book State and the Soldier said in 1957 that out of three military traditions technicism, popularism and professionalism, true propensity should be towards technicism. This may, however, make sense