Exercise Shanti Doot-2 begins in city

The participants of Peace Support Operations Exercise namely 'Shanti Doot-2' pose for photograph at the inaugural ceremony in the city yesterday.Photo: ISPR

Exercise Shanti Doot-2, a peace support operations exercise, began at a city hotel yesterday under the framework of Global Peace Operations Initiative Programme.
Hosted by Bangladesh Army and sponsored by United States Pacific Command (USPACOM), the exercise has two packages -- Command Post Exercise (CPX) at Hotel Radission will be held from April 1 to 20, while the other Field Training Exercise (FTX) will be held at Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operation Training (BIPSOT), Rajendrapur Cantonment from April 1 to 20.
Around 360 military personnel from 11 countries are participating in the FTX, while some 120 military and civil personnel from 16 countries -- Australia, host Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Nepal, the Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, South Korea, the UK, Mongolia, Tonga and the US -- are participating in the CPX programme.
Bangladesh is holding 25 key appointments including Exercise Director or UN Force Headquarters Commander and Force Commander in the CPX. Exercise Director or UN Force Headquarters Commander is Brig Gen M Rafiqul Islam and Exercise Force Commander is Brig Gen Mohammad Mahboob Haider Khan.
The CPX will have three segments and those are academic session from April 1 to 4, while mini exercise on April 5 and exercise play from April 7 to 11.
The certificate awarding ceremony of the CPX will be held at the same venue on April 11 at 3:30pm. Chief of Naval Staff of Bangladesh Navy Vice Admiral Sarwar Jahan Nizam will be present, according to an ISPR press release.