Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has said that the Bangladesh government is determined to make the Coast Guard a modern, strong, and time-befitting force to ensure security in the country’s maritime and coastal areas. He made the remarks on Tuesday at the Coast Guard Headquarters in Agargaon, Dhaka, during the celebration of the 31st founding anniversary and Coast Guard Day 2026.

The minister recalled that the force was established in 1995 under the leadership of former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia with the motto “Guardian at Sea.” He praised the Coast Guard’s recent successes in curbing drug trafficking, human smuggling, and piracy, as well as protecting forest and fishery resources in the Sundarbans, including 29 successful operations in the past year. He also highlighted the addition of three surveillance drones and ongoing construction of one multirole response vessel and two offshore patrol vessels funded by JICA.

Ahmed announced plans to procure bulletproof high-speed boats through Khulna Shipyard and to add helicopters and a maritime surveillance system in the future. The government is also working to increase the force’s manpower to 10,000 members.