US Army, Bangladesh Armed Forces Launch Tiger Lightning 2026 Exercise to Boost Military Cooperation

DHAKA, July 18: The U.S. Army and Bangladesh Armed Forces are set to begin the annual Tiger Lightning 2026 bilateral military exercise on July 19, aimed at strengthening cooperation, improving readiness, and enhancing the ability of both forces to operate together in real-world scenarios.

The exercise brings together more than 160 service members from both countries and will include training focused on jungle operations, counter-terrorism, and tactical combat casualty care. The drills will provide both sides with an opportunity to better understand each other’s capabilities and improve interoperability.

Tiger Lightning 2026 is part of the U.S. Army Pacific’s Theater Army Campaign Plan and security cooperation objectives, designed to strengthen professional relationships, improve military operations, increase readiness, and foster closer cooperation between the U.S. Army and Bangladesh Army.

The exercise will be conducted across various classroom and field training environments, culminating in a field training exercise.

Tiger Lightning is a bilateral exercise between the U.S. Army and Bangladesh Armed Forces that began in 2017. The annual drill was briefly paused during the COVID-19 pandemic before resuming and continuing over the past five years.