A seven-member team of officers from the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) that arrived in Dhaka on December 8 will take part in the 12th Bangladesh-US Bilateral Defence Dialogue being held under the overall supervision of the Armed Forces Division (AFD) between December 10 and 11.
While the visiting US INDOPACOM team is led by Brigadier Sarah Russ, INDOPACOM Mobilization Assistant to Director, Strategic Planning and Policy, the Bangladesh side will be headed by AFD Director General, Operations and Plan Directorate Brigadier Alimul Amin.
Another key member of the INDOPACOM team is Michael Clinton Pettigrew, who is a “strategic and regional expert on India and South Asia with 28 years of experience in leading, developing and implementing US strategic military policy and operations”.
US INDOPACOM Deputy for Strategic Operations, Plans and Policy (South and Southeast Asia), Pettigrew, who has been on multiple combat tours and overseas assignments and is skilled in negotiations, problem-solving, mentoring and conflict management, has been in Dhaka on previous occasions.
The others on the INDOPACOM team are Commander Noelle Kitenkо, Lieutenant Colonel Erin Ball, Major Chelse Esenwein, Crystal Rodrigues, Major Rob Greene and Talal Babar. Pettigrew and Maj Esenwein took a Thai Airway flight (No. TG-321) to Dhaka’s Hazrat Shah Jala International Airport via Bangkok on December 8 night, the rest of the INDOPACOM team reached the Bangladesh capital on December 9. They will stay at The Westin Hotel till the duration of the defence dialogue.
The Bangladesh AFD, which has been taking a leading role in conducting the visits of all foreign guests, including senior defence officers from Pakistan, has been integral to coordinating and planning broad policy and operations options before the country’s defence forces.
The US-Bangladesh defence dialogue is an annual high-level meeting fostering military cooperation on security, training, peacekeeping, counter-terrorism, and regional stability, with recent sessions (December 11, 2024) focusing on exercises, capability development, and joint responses to crises, strengthening ties established since the first dialogue in 2012.
These dialogues, often held alternately in each country, complement broader security talks and involve discussions on Indo-Pacific strategy, defence equipment, and humanitarian assistance, showcasing a robust, long-standing defense partnership.
For the 12th round of the US-Bangladesh defence dialogue, preparations were set afoot in July 2025 when the AFD’s Air Force component wrote to the US INDOPACOM. This was followed by an email confirmation from the US embassy in Dhaka on November 9.
ALSO READ: Chinese aerospace company to build 1,000-bed hospital at Nilphamari on Bangladesh-India border
The dialogues move beyond basic military cooperation to address broader security goals and aim to foster shared approaches to global security issues such as maritime security and humanitarian aid. The dialogues serve as a crucial forum for strategic alignment and deepening the defense relationship between the US and Bangladesh, particularly within the Indo-Pacific context.
