Pacific Air Forces attend Airmen-to-Airmen Talks in Bangladesh

Members of the U.S. Air Force and the Bangladesh Air Force attend Airman-to-Airman Talks in the Dhaka Cantonment, Bangladesh on Aug. 1, 2023. These events facilitate discussions between the U.S. and other countries to improve all parties involved through shared best-practices while simultaneously building stronger relationships across the Indo-Pacific through collaboration and planning. (Courtesy Photo)

Pacific Air Forces attend Airmen-to-Airmen Talks in Bangladesh

U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Erich C. Novak, Pacific Air Forces Mobilization Assistant to the Commander, speaks with Air Vice Marshal AHM Fazlul Haque, Bangladesh Air Force Assistant Chief of Air Staff (Operations), in Dhaka Cantonment, Bangladesh on Aug. 1, 2023. This meeting was in concert with a U.S. Air Force and Bangladesh Air Force Airman-to-Airman Talks where both parties looked to share experiences and discuss future bilateral engagements. (Courtesy Photo)

Pacific Air Forces attend Airmen-to-Airmen Talks in Bangladesh

Members of the U.S. Air Force and the Bangladesh Air Force attend Airman-to-Airman Talks in the Dhaka Cantonment, Bangladesh on Aug. 1, 2023. These events facilitate discussions between the U.S. and other countries to improve all parties involved through shared best practices while simultaneously building stronger relationships across the Indo-Pacific through collaboration and planning. (Courtesy Photo)

Pacific Air Forces attend Airmen-to-Airmen Talks in Bangladesh

Published Aug. 31, 2023
By Tech. Sgt. Jimmie D. Pike
Pacific Air Forces Public Affairs

JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii -- A delegation of senior leaders from Pacific Air Forces and the Oregon National Guard attended Airmen-to-Airmen Talks (A2AT) hosted by the Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) at their Air Headquarters in the Dhaka Cantonment, Bangladesh early August 2023. The event was co-chaired by U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Erich C. Novak, PACAF mobilization assistant to the commander, and Bangladesh Air Force Air Vice Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan, assistant chief of Air Staff (Plans).

This A2AT was aimed at strengthening the U.S. and Bangladesh partnership by discussing opportunities to expand collaborative efforts on a variety of mutually beneficial topics.

“During this event we refined our plans to share knowledge and best practices regarding several important focus areas between PACAF and the BAF,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Christopher Smith, PACAF Bangladesh country director. “We discussed opportunities to expand exchanges on officer and enlisted force development, interoperability for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, and air domain awareness to name a few.”

The BAF also highlighted their interest in upcoming exercises like next year’s iteration of COPE SOUTH and future PACIFIC ANGEL exercises, which focus on interoperability for tactical airlift, humanitarian assistance, and a variety of related subject matter expert exchanges.

“Bangladesh is a leader in real-world HADR missions and successfully operates C-130s in support of United Nations Peace Keeping Operations around the world,” said Novak. “This makes them an ideal partner to work with and learn from for vital humanitarian missions.”

This bilateral exchange was critical in laying the groundwork for future interactions and exercises between the U.S. Air Force and Bangladesh Air Force. This was the sixth A2AT between PACAF and the BAF, but the first held in-person since 2018.

“We are thankful to the BAF for enabling us to finally be able to meet again in person to resume regularly scheduled Airman to Airman Talks, and to aim for new heights in our partnership,” said Novak.