US supports Bangladesh military training exercise

The US military personal took part in a two-week long training exercise with their Bangladesh counterparts to strengthen its defence readiness and build operational interoperability, reports news agency BSS.

Members of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade (5th SFAB) out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, the Oregon Army National Guard along with two members from the 303rd Ordnance Battalion (EOD), based at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, attended the drill from 19 to 31 March, a US embassy press release said.

The bilateral exercise named “Tiger Lightning 2022 (TL22)” was sponsored by US Indo-Pacific Command and hosted by the Bangladesh Armed Forces that reinforced partnership between the Bangladesh Armed Forces and Oregon State National Guard.

Approximately 36 US personnel participated in this field training exercise (FTX) focusing on combined operations training and regional crisis response capabilities.

The Oregon National Guard assisted with key subject matter experts, focusing on the “E,” in the area of explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) & counter improvised explosive device (C-IED) training.

“What I am seeing from this is that people are exchanging experiences,” said Oregon Army National Guard Lt. Col. Demain San Miguel, lead planner for the exercise, on the occasion.

“The people know their equipment, they know the capabilities, but they’re sharing their experiences from Mali, Iraq, and Afghanistan, on how the equipment worked and didn’t work, as well as how you can use the equipment together,” he added.