BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

RIDING ON BIG WAVES: RESOURCE CONSTRAINTS, ORGANIZATIONAL CHALLENGES AND BANGLADESH COAST GUARD

Author: Aurangzeb Chowdhury

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2019v40n4a2

ABSTRACT

Even after a quarter century, Bangladesh Coast Guard (BCG) lacks missioncritical resources such as land, infrastructure, force-specific platforms, logistics and repair and maintenance facilities. Its desperate efforts to acquire land and infrastructure began soon after its emergence and continues till today. The force, being a specialized one, needs mission-specific platforms and equipment but is yet to acquire those. Besides, deficiency in logistics and repair and maintenance facility hinders its operational scope to a great extent. Its logistics chain is feeble, whereas its repair and maintenance capability—both in-house and outsourced, are still in the primary stage of development. Hence, these critical deficits need to be covered up as soon as possible by BCG to fulfil its mandate. In this regard, the experiences of other coast guards across the globe offer useful insights. Moreover, the recruitment of own manpower presents itself as the panacea while charting a well-coordinated long-term development plan and executing it in phases offer the best possible option to overcome these deficiencies.