Prime Minister Tareque Rahman instructed naval and air force selection board members to base officers’ promotions on integrity and merit, above political ideology and personal preferences. He gave the directive on Sunday morning while inaugurating the Navy and Air Force Selection Board 2026 at Air Force Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment.

He said assessments should emphasize professional competence, leadership, discipline, integrity, reliability, loyalty and, above all, suitability for appointment. The prime minister said the Bangladesh Navy and Air Force have contributed not only to protecting national independence and sovereignty but also to supporting civilian authorities in maintaining internal peace, stability and disaster response.

Rahman later visited several key Air Force operational facilities, including the Air Defence System Integration site, the Air Command Operation Centre and the Aerospace Research and Development Complex. He observed Air Force-produced unmanned aerial vehicles, including drones, kamikaze drones, interceptor drones and VTOL systems, as well as a quadcopter flight. He expressed hope that such domestic capabilities would advance research, innovation and technological self-reliance.