Why in news?
In 2025 the United States conducted multiple joint exercises with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, underlining its growing strategic engagement in India’s neighbourhood. These exercises focus on counter‑terrorism, disaster response and maritime security.
Key exercises
- Exercise Tiger Lightning 2025: Hosted by Bangladesh, with participation from the Bangladesh Army and the U.S. Army Pacific. The aim is to improve readiness for counter‑terrorism, peacekeeping, jungle warfare and medical evacuation. Training emphasises practical simulations and rescue drills.
- Exercise Tiger Shark 2025 (Flash Bengal Series): A special operations exercise hosted by Bangladesh involving the Bangladesh Special Warfare Diving and Salvage Unit, the Para Commando Brigade and U.S. Special Forces. It focuses on maritime security operations, patrol boat handling and small‑arms marksmanship. Use of U.S. equipment helps improve interoperability.
- Exercise Pacific Angel 2025: Conducted in Bangladesh (fourth iteration) and Sri Lanka (largest regional event of 2025). Participants include the U.S. Pacific Air Forces along with defence forces from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Australia, Japan and Maldives. Activities include C‑130 airdrop training, search and rescue drills, jungle survival and mass casualty response. The exercise strengthens multi‑nation humanitarian assistance and disaster relief capabilities.
- RQ‑21 Blackjack UAS programme: A joint U.S.–Bangladesh initiative to build indigenous unmanned aerial surveillance capability. A combined army‑navy regiment operates the unmanned aerial system, which enhances maritime domain awareness, border security and supports UN peacekeeping missions.
Geostrategic significance
- These exercises reflect Washington’s effort to deepen defence ties with countries on India’s eastern flank, complementing its engagement with India under the Quad.
- For Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, they provide training, modern equipment and enhanced disaster‑response capacity.
- India watches these developments closely: while they strengthen regional security against common threats, they also indicate the U.S.’s desire for a stronger foothold in the Bay of Bengal region.