Written by Abu Rushd
We start off this issue with a discussion by Fakhrul Islam on the current tensions raging between America, its regional allies and Iran. It discusses the conflicts in the region and the geostrategic imperatives that fuel them along with the regional ambitions of Iran… …
It also discusses the capabilities of Iran and its regional proxies and their role in controlling important geostrategic locations, namely the Strait of Hormuz and the Strait of Bab el- Mandeb and spreading the Iranian influence to Syria and Lebanon, giving them a free reign starting from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean Ocean, as it happened during the Achaemenid Empire. It also outlines the deals and the underlying imperatives and power plays holding back the negotiations required to calm the tension.
Followed by this is our honorable Chief of Army Staff’s paper which was presented by him in the Symposium and Exposition of Land Forces of the Pacific in his visit to the INDOPACOM in Hawaii. It discusses on the topic of interoperability and emphasizes on the principles of cooperation to increase interoperability, especially in terms of UN missions carried out by Bangladesh Army in tandem with forces from other countries.
We also have Ahmed Sharif’s writing on the changing role of warships in conflicts and how it challenges the concept and design of traditional warships by integrating land weapon platforms on the warship.
Next on we have a short analysis exploring Russia’s newly launched ‘Arctic Research Submarine’ and its true purpose. It goes on to shed lights on the capabilities of such submarines and how that can be wielded against the perceived enemies, especially the United States in case of a conflict.
We then discuss on the possible development of the Chinese Aircraft Carriers and their likely role in the future in power projection in the oceans around Asia and the technological hurdles that they are trying to overcome to get there.
We also covered our Prime Minister’s visit to Japan and the reassurance of support from her Japanese counterpart in the form of an USD 2.5 billion deal, it also covers the talks about strategic partnership regarding various issues one of which is counterterrorism.
We have the usual monthly Diplomatic Round-Up from our Diplomatic Correspondent, who also covered the observation of the UN Peacekeepers Day and the UN honoring 12 of our fallen Peacekeepers.
Lastly, we covered Pakistan Navy’s procurement of corvettes from Romania and Turkey’s Exercise Sea Wolf, which was held in three seas, namely the Aegean Sea, Black Sea and the Mediterranean Ocean.
May Allah bless us all.