MARITIME SECURITY CHALLENGES FOR BANGLADESH: RESPONSE OPTIONS

This article provides a comprehensive analysis of the maritime security challenges facing Bangladesh and assesses the country's response options. It identifies a wide range of traditional and non-traditional challenges in the Bay of Bengal, which is a maritime space of growing strategic importance. The study examines traditional security challenges, including the need to safeguard the country's sovereignty and to protect its sea lines of communication. However, the research places a stronger focus on the growing salience of a diverse array of non-traditional security challenges. These include piracy and armed robbery at sea, illicit trafficking of drugs and arms, illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing, and marine pollution. The paper then outlines a set of response options for Bangladesh. These include the continued modernization and capacity building of the Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard, the strengthening of inter-agency coordination among all maritime stakeholders, and the pursuit of a proactive diplomacy to enhance regional and international maritime cooperation. The analysis concludes that a comprehensive and integrated maritime security strategy is essential for protecting Bangladesh's vital national interests at sea.

With the successful settlement of its maritime boundaries, Bangladesh has acquired a vast and resource-rich maritime domain in the Bay of Bengal. This paper analyzes the significant security challenges that come with this new responsibility and the response options available to the country. The study begins by mapping out the full spectrum of maritime security challenges. In the traditional domain, it discusses the need for a credible naval capability to deter potential aggressors and to protect the country's sovereignty. The core of the article, however, is a detailed examination of the more immediate and persistent non-traditional challenges. It provides an assessment of the threat of maritime terrorism. It analyzes the economic damage caused by IUU fishing, which depletes the country's fish stocks. It also explores the problem of maritime pollution and the need for an effective disaster response capability. The second part of the paper is a forward-looking assessment of the necessary response options. It makes a strong case for continued and accelerated investment in the capacity of the Bangladesh Navy and Coast Guard, not just in terms of platforms, but also in modern surveillance and intelligence capabilities. A key argument is the need for a "whole-of-government" approach to maritime security, with much stronger coordination among the more than a dozen government agencies that have a role in the maritime domain. The paper concludes by emphasizing the crucial importance of international cooperation, arguing that the transnational nature of most maritime threats means that they cannot be solved by any single country alone.