DHAKA, Bangladesh, July 18 (ANI): The U.S. Army and the Bangladesh Armed Forces will officially begin the annual Tiger Lightning military exercise on Sunday, the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka announced Saturday.
The bilateral exercise will bring together more than 160 service members from both countries to enhance cooperation and strengthen their ability to operate together in real-world scenarios.
Tiger Lightning 26 will include training focused on jungle operations, counterterrorism, and tactical combat casualty care, providing personnel from both militaries an opportunity to better understand each other’s capabilities, the embassy said.
The exercise is part of the U.S. Army Pacific’s Theater Army Campaign Plan and broader security cooperation objectives aimed at strengthening professional relationships, improving military operations, increasing readiness, and enhancing interoperability between the U.S. Army and the Bangladesh Army.
According to the embassy, Tiger Lightning began in 2017 as a bilateral exercise between the U.S. Army and the Bangladesh Armed Forces. Although it was briefly suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been held annually over the past five years.
The exercise will include both classroom instruction and field training, culminating in a final field training exercise.
Last year, the opening ceremony for the joint military exercise Tiger Lightning 2025, jointly organized by the Bangladesh Army and the U.S. Army Pacific Command (USARPAC), was held on July 25 at the Para Commando Brigade in Jalalabad Cantonment, Sylhet.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Directorate of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Defence, Major General Ascot A. Winter, Deputy Commanding General of USARPAC, attended the ceremony as the chief guest.
The exercise was jointly supervised by the Bangladesh Army’s Para Commando Brigade and the Nevada National Guard under U.S. Army Pacific Command.
The six-day exercise concluded on July 30, 2025.
Bangladesh and the United States maintain close cooperation on regional and global security, counterterrorism, disaster management, and humanitarian assistance.
Bangladesh has reaffirmed its commitment to addressing natural disasters and global security challenges while continuing to work with the United States and other international partners.
Tiger Lightning 2025 was conducted to strengthen bilateral cooperation, improve joint operational capabilities, and enhance military readiness.
The 2025 exercise involved 66 personnel from the Nevada National Guard and 100 personnel from the Bangladesh Army’s Para Commando Brigade.
Senior Bangladesh Army officials, including the Director of the Army Air Defence Directorate, the Director of the Military Training Directorate, and the Commander of the Para Commando Brigade, attended the opening ceremony.
The exercise is expected to further strengthen the longstanding partnership between the Bangladesh Army and the U.S. Army while enhancing the professional skills of participating troops, the ISPR said. (ANI)
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