On August 27, 2026, 55 acres of land belonging to a long-closed textile mill in Faujdarhat, Chattogram, was handed over to the Bangladesh army. This site, some 245 kilometres southeast of the capital Dhaka, is being developed to produce modern weapons, ammunition and other military equipment.

Bangladesh’s army chief, Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman says it is part of an effort to improve the country’s defence capabilities. “We have decided that whatever we fire, we will manufacture it ourselves. Because it is not possible to fight a war by importing,” he told those gathered at the handover ceremony.

Viewing the Faujdarhat initiative as a standalone project, however, risks overlooking its wider significance. Bangladesh’s plans to acquire Chinese fighter jets, establish unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) production with China, expand defence cooperation with Türkiye and potentially joining the Makkah Defence Alliance raise a broader question about the country’s security policy.

Is Bangladesh reshaping its security strategy in the post-2024 period or are these developments part of a longer-standing process of military modernisation?

Bangladesh’s emerging defence industry, growing military cooperation with China and Türkiye, and potential interest in the Makkah pact are reshaping the conversation around its security policy. The changes also have implications for its relationship with India

Bangladesh’s emerging defence industry, growing military cooperation with China and Türkiye, and potential interest in the Makkah pact are reshaping the conversation around its security policy. The changes also have implications for its relationship with India

M. Humayun Kabir, president of the think tank Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) and a former ambassador to the United States, believes that the drive to strengthen military capabilities is linked to a growing sense of national confidence and self-assurance among Bangladeshis after 2024. That was the year a student-led mass uprising resulted in a political transformation that ended Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year premiership. One reflection of this is the growing interest in strengthening military capabilities, he says, adding “if necessary, we........

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