The government’s decision to hand over 54.99 acres of the long-closed Jalil Textile Mills in Fouzdarhat, Chattogram, to the Bangladesh Army for establishing a modern Bangladesh Ordnance Factory (BOF) is a commendable and strategically important initiative. It comes at a time when Bangladesh needs to strengthen its defence preparedness while reducing excessive dependence on imported arms and ammunition.
For any sovereign nation, the ability to manufacture essential defence equipment domestically is an important component of national security. The Army Chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, has rightly underscored the importance of developing indigenous capacity. No modern armed force can afford to remain severely dependent on foreign suppliers for its critical military requirements. International conflicts, geopolitical tensions and disruptions in global supply chains can suddenly make imports difficult, costly or even impossible.
A modern ordnance factory can therefore play a vital role in ensuring a reliable domestic supply of weapons, ammunition and other military equipment. Over time, the facility should also be encouraged to develop advanced technologies and products suited to the changing requirements of modern warfare, including drones and other emerging defence technologies.
Equally encouraging is the Army’s ambition to make the proposed facility export-oriented. Bangladesh has traditionally depended heavily on a limited number of export products, particularly readymade garments. Diversifying the country’s export basket has long been a major economic challenge. If the new factory can produce internationally competitive defence equipment while maintaining strict quality and security standards, arms exports could open a completely new avenue for earning foreign exchange.
However, such ambitions must be pursued responsibly. Defence production requires advanced technology, rigorous quality control, skilled manpower and substantial research and development. The government should therefore ensure that the project receives sustained policy support and that bureaucratic complications do not unnecessarily delay its implementation. At the same time, arms exports must remain consistent with Bangladesh’s international obligations and responsible foreign-policy principles.
Another positive aspect of the land transfer is the institutional character of the arrangement. Whenever public land or abandoned state-owned industrial facilities are transferred, leased or sold to private interests, questions about transparency and possible underhand dealings naturally arise. In this case, the transfer to the Bangladesh Army for a clearly defined national-security and industrial purpose provides far less scope for such concerns. Nevertheless, transparency, accountability and proper oversight should remain integral to the project from planning to implementation.
The revival of the abandoned Jalil Textile Mills site also carries symbolic significance. A facility that once contributed to Bangladesh’s textile industry and remained unused after its closure in 2004 is now being given a new strategic purpose. This demonstrates how idle public assets can be transformed into productive national resources.
Most importantly, the proposed factory could generate substantial employment by creating opportunities for engineers, technicians, skilled workers and other professionals. It could also encourage the development of a wider defence-industrial ecosystem involving local suppliers, research institutions and technology companies.
The government and the Army should now move swiftly but carefully to turn this promising vision into reality. A successful BOF at Fouzdarhat could become not only a pillar of defence self-reliance but also a new source of technology, employment and export earnings for Bangladesh.
