Mahbubus Samad Chowdhury

Mahbubus Samad Chowdhury^[a] is a two star officer of the Bangladesh Army and the incumbent director general of Special Security Force.^[1][2][3]

Major General Mahbubus Samad Chowdhury BSP
Chowdhury in 2025
16th Director General of Special Security Force
Incumbent
Assumed office 20 August 2024
President	Mohammed Shahabuddin
Prime Minister	Muhammad Yunus (acting)
Preceded by	Nazmul Hasan
Personal details
Awards	Bishishto Seba Padak (BSP)
Military service
Allegiance	Bangladesh
Branch/service	Bangladesh Army
Years of service	1991 - present
Rank	Major General
Unit	Bangladesh Infantry Regiment
Commands	Director General of Special Security Force Commander of 2nd Infantry Brigade Commandant of Army War Game Centre
Battles/wars	UNAMSIL MONUSCO MINUSMA

Education

Chowdhury enlisted to Bangladesh Military Academy on 1989 and was commissioned in the East Bengal Regiment on December 1991. He is a graduate of Command and Staff College Quetta, Pakistan and the National Defence College from Mirpur, Dhaka. Chowdhury furthermore attended the Turkish Military Academy on special operations courses. Chowdhury obtained his master's degree four times, first in defence studies from the National University, Bangladesh on 2004 and then on Master of Science on military strategy from University of Balochistan in 2006. Chowdhury received his other two master's degrees from the Bangladesh University of Professionals on Master of Social Science and peace in 2020 and 2022 respectively. Chowdhury achieved the Chancellors Gold Medal in the Master of Peace, Conflict and Human Rights Studies from Bangladesh University of Professionals in 2023.

Military career

Chowdhury adorning the rank of major general at Jamuna State Guest House, 2024

Chowdhury commanded two infantry companies and one infantry battalion, the 28th Bangladesh Infantry Regiment. He served as brigade major of 46th Independent Infantry Brigade at Dhaka Cantonment, instructed at the School of Infantry and Tactics in Jalalabad Cantonment and furthermore served as general staff officer (grade-1) of the 33rd Infantry Division in Comilla. Chowdhury was upgraded to colonel on 2017 and instructed at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training. He returned to 33rd Infantry Division for serving as the colonel staff at divisional headquarters. Chowdhury also served as chief operations officer at the army war game centre under the ARTDOC headquarters. Chowdhury was then promoted to brigadier general on 2020 and was designated as the commander of 2nd infantry brigade at Ramu Cantonment. Chowdhury was the task force Commander for the security of Rohingya camps. He was transferred to army headquarters on August 2022 for serving as director of infantry directorate under chief of general staff lieutenant general Ataul Hakim Sarwar Hasan. He was ameliorated to major general on August 2024 and appointed as the director general of Special Security Force succeeding major general Nazmul Hasan.^[4]

United Nations peacekeeping missions

Chowdhury served in United Nations peacekeeping thrice. First as captain, under UNAMSIL in Sierra Leone as military observer in 1999. He later served as major with the MONUSCO in Democratic Republic of the Congo as operations officer of BANBAT-6 on 2008. Chowdhury again served in 2012 in the rank of lieutenant colonel as officer of Bangladesh peacekeeping affairs (P-4) with MINUSMA department in the Headquarters of the United Nations.