A C-130J Super Hercules transport aircraft from the US Air Force landed at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong earlier this week. The arrival coincided with the launch of ‘Operation Pacific Angel 25-3’, a four-day joint exercise involving the US Air Force, the Bangladesh Air Force and the Sri Lankan Air Force. This comes only months after the Tiger Lightning-2025 drills in Sylhet. The uptick in American military activity in Bangladesh is raising eyebrows in New Delhi.
What is happening on the ground
The US Air Force C-130J is a tactical transport aircraft normally based at Yokota Station in Japan. In Chittagong, it has joined other aircraft, including two more C-130Js from the US Pacific Air Forces and an Mi-17 helicopter from the Bangladesh Air Force. At least 242 personnel are taking part, 150 from Bangladesh and 92 from the United States. The exercise is taking place at the Bangladesh Air Force Zahurul Haque base.
According to US officials, ‘Operation Pacific Angel’ has been running in the Indo-Pacific for over a decade. It is described as a programme to strengthen defence cooperation, improve interoperability and sharpen humanitarian response capabilities. The US Chargé d’Affaires in Bangladesh, Tracy Ann Jacobson, inspected the exercises alongside senior embassy and military officials.
Reports from Chittagong suggest that another US-Bangladesh joint exercise is being planned in the same area. Several American troops are said to have landed there last week, although their specific training objectives remain unclear.
Background of growing US-Bangladesh military ties
The latest development follows July’s Tiger Lightning-2025 exercise in Sylhet’s Jalalabad Cantonment. That drill involved Bangladesh’s Para Commando Brigade and the US Army Pacific Command, along with the Nevada National Guard. It focused on counter-terrorism, jungle warfare and combat casualty care. Dozens of American soldiers trained alongside about 100 elite Bangladeshi commandos.
These frequent exercises point to a steady strengthening of US-Bangladesh defence cooperation. They also highlight Bangladesh’s growing importance in the US Indo-Pacific security strategy.
The political context
Bangladesh has been politically unstable since August 2024, when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted after weeks of violent student-led protests that left over 600 people dead. Hasina fled to India, and an interim government headed by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus took charge.
There are claims, denied by Washington, that the US had a hand in Hasina’s removal because she reportedly resisted giving St Martin’s Island to American interests. Suspicion deepened last month when a US Special Forces officer was found dead in a Dhaka hotel, with his body reportedly handed over to the embassy without an autopsy.
This backdrop makes the current influx of US personnel and hardware in Bangladesh appear more than routine exercises to some observers.
Why India is watching closely
Chittagong’s proximity to India’s northeastern states and Myanmar gives it great strategic significance. Any foreign military footprint in this area has immediate implications for Indian security. Analysts cited by the Economic Times warn that outside powers could be using Bangladesh as a base to expand their influence in ways that affect India.
The United States is also believed to be making overtures to rebel groups in Myanmar. This could add to instability along India’s border with Myanmar, where insurgencies and refugee flows are already a concern.
At the same time, Washington’s moves are widely seen as a counterweight to China’s growing influence in South Asia. If the US does deepen its presence in Bangladesh, it will force the interim government to keep Washington onside. This, in turn, could alter Bangladesh’s relations with its neighbours, including India.
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