JOINT BASE PEARL HARBOR-HICKAM, Hawaii – -- Pacific Air Forces’ leaders and subject matter experts, alongside the Oregon National Guard State Partnership Team, hosted their counterparts from the Bangladesh Air Force at the PACAF headquarters on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii May 14 – 17, 2024 for an Airman-to-Airman Talk engagement. The event was co-chaired by U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Erich C. Novak, PACAF mobilization assistant to the commander, and BAF Air Vice Marshal Muhammad Kamrul Islam, assistant chief of Air Staff (Plans).
This A2AT continued to enhance the U.S. and Bangladesh partnership by revisiting many previous discussions from past bilateral talks, and opened with words from the PACAF host.
“It requires a lot of work up-front and behind the scenes to execute these Talks and I appreciate everyone who had a hand in making this event a reality,” said Novak. “We appreciate the Bangladesh Air Force for your willingness to expand our collaborative efforts and strengthen the partnership between our two great air forces.”
During the A2AT, the attending personnel discussed Enlisted and Officer Career Progression, the Inter-Pacific Air Forces Academy, Accident Investigation processes, and international safety sharing to name a few topics.
A notable discussion point during the talks was exercise participation. PACAF and BAF personnel discussed building a long-term plan for COPE SOUTH which included goals such as improving interoperability for disaster response and supporting the Bangladesh Armed Forces’ long-term modernization efforts.
“One of the big things we are also trying to accomplish this iteration is finalizing the concept of operations for Bangladesh to host PACIFIC ANGEL in 2025,” said Maj. Christopher Smith, PACAF country directory to Bangladesh. “As Maj. Gen. Novak has highlighted in the past, Bangladesh is a leader in real-world HADR missions and an ideal partner to work with and learn from.”
PACIFIC ANGEL is a joint and combined humanitarian assistance operation demonstrating PACAF's commitment to the Indo-Pacific region and our allies. It further focuses on building humanitarian assistance and disaster response capability through cooperation between U.S. and host nation militaries, civilian medical and engineering personnel and the U.S. Agency for International Development.
“As Airmen, we all have a shared responsibility to enhance regional peace, security, and stability,” said Novak. “Everyone who attended clearly understands this need, and I greatly appreciate the BAF’s commitment to moving our partnership forward.”
The next iteration of the PACAF-BAF A2AT is slated for 2025 in Oregon hosted by the State Partnership Team.