Women in the Bangladesh Armed Forces

Women have been members of the Bangladesh Army since the early part of the 2000s decade. On 30 May 2016, the Bangladesh Navy had female sailors for the first time in its history. Women had also been recruited as airwomen in the Bangladesh Air Force in 2020. In the Border Guard Bangladesh, women are recruited as sepoys since 2016.

A female Bangladesh Air Force officer in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in 2016

Army

A female soldier of the Bangladesh Army's ordnance corps in Comilla, 2018

The liberation war

Sitara Begum, a female Bengali doctor from the Pakistan Army's medical corps participated in the liberation war of Bangladesh; she was commissioned into the Pakistan Army Medical Corps as a lieutenant in 1970. Begum deserted the Pakistan Army and took part in the Bangladesh liberation war as the commanding officer of the Bangladesh Field Hospital, and was awarded the Bir Protik medal for her contribution.^[1][2]

First batch of female officers

Since the early part of the 2000s, women have been commissioned in various corps of the Bangladesh Army alongside men for the first time. Initially, women officers were restricted to non-combat roles such as signals or logistics.^[3][4][5]

Noted female officers

Zannatul Ferdous became the country's first female paratrooper on 7 February 2013, after being commissioned on 24 December 2009 from the Bangladesh Military Academy's 59th long course.^[6][7] In 2019, four female officers were promoted to lieutenant colonels and were appointed commanding officers of combat units which was first time in Bangladesh Army's history; the women were Sanjida Hossain, Syeda Nazia Raihan and Farhana Afreen of the artillery regiment and Sarah Amir of the engineer corps.^[8][9][10]

Nazma Begum of the Bangladesh Army Medical Corps was the first female contingent commander in United Nations peacekeeping. Nazma went to UNOCI in 2016 with a 56-member contingent, and as a lieutenant colonel was the first female commanding officer of a field ambulance of the Bangladesh Army.^[11][12] Susane Giti of the medical corps was the first woman in the Bangladesh Army to be promoted to major general, in 2018.^[13][14]

In 2015, the army got its first female pilots: Nazia Nusrat Hossain and Shahrina Binte Anwar. Hossain was commissioned in the corps of engineers and Anwar in the ordnance corps. Both women were commissioned in December 2009, and completed their first solo flying training successfully in June 2015.^[15][16][17]

In 2022, a wheelchair-bound female officer named Kaniz Fatema was promoted to major.^[18]

First batch of female soldiers

The first batch of female ordinary soldiers of the Bangladesh Army completed their recruit training on 29 January 2015 in Ghatail Cantonment, which is situated in Tangail District.^[19][20][21] A total number of 879 women were enlisted from that batch into the army's medical corps.^[22]

Permission of wearing hijab

Since September 2024, women in the Bangladesh army have been allowed to wear the hijab head covering to express their Muslim faith.^[23]

Navy

On 12 January 2000, 16 women joined the Bangladesh Naval Academy for officer cadet training, this was the first batch of female officers of the Bangladesh Navy.^[24]

The navy enlisted female sailors for the first time in its history on 30 May 2016. 44 women were enlisted as sailors on that day at BNS Titumir naval base in Khulna, alongside 727 male sailors who completed their basic naval training on the same day.^[25]

Air Force

In 2000, women were inducted as officers in the Bangladesh Air Force.^[26] In 2014, the air force started taking women in the pilots' branch.^[27]

On 25 November 2020, at the Bangladesh Air Force's Recruits Training School (RTS) in Shamshernagar, the passing out parade of the 48th Airmen Entry was held. A total of 752 recruits passed out, including 64 women. This was the first time that women were recruited as airwomen into the Bangladesh Air Force.^[28]

Border Guard Bangladesh

In the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), ninety seven women completed basic training at Border Guard Training Center and School, Satkania Upazila, Chattogram on 5 June 2016 (Sunday), this was the 88th BGB batch and women were taken for the first time in this batch in the history of BGB.^[29]