The Directorate of Military Operations (DMO; Bengali: à ¦¸à ¦¾à ¦®à ¦°à ¦¿à ¦ à ¦ à ¦ªà ¦¾à ¦°à §Âà ¦¶à ¦¨ à ¦ªà ¦°à ¦¿à ¦¦à ¦ªà §Âà ¦¤à ¦°) is a principal staff directorate under the General Staff Branch of the Bangladesh Army Headquarters in Dhaka Cantonment. It is responsible for the planning, coordination, monitoring, and execution of all military operations of the Bangladesh Army, including both conventional defence tasks and internal security support roles as directed by the government. The DMO functions as the primary operational nerve centre of the Army, relaying directives from AHQ to field formations and ensuring alignment with national defence policy.
The directorate operates under the overall supervision of the Chief of the General Staff (CGS) and works in close coordination with other General Staff directorates such as the Directorate of Staff Duties and the Military Intelligence Directorate.
The Directorate of Military Operations was established shortly after the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971 during the reorganisation of the newly formed Bangladesh Army. As the army transitioned from a guerrilla force to a conventional standing army, the need for a dedicated operational planning and command-and-control staff element became critical. It was initially modelled on similar directorates in other armies and has since evolved to address both external defence threats and internal stability challenges faced by Bangladesh.
Over the decades, the DMO has played a key role in operational planning for United Nations peacekeeping missions (in which the Bangladesh Army is a major contributor), border management, disaster response coordination, and support to civil administration during periods of internal unrest. Its functions expanded significantly in the post-1990s era with Bangladesh's increased participation in global peacekeeping and the professionalisation of the armed forces under civilian oversight.
The DMO is headed by a Director, usually a Brigadier General of the Bangladesh Army, assisted by a Colonel Staff (Operations) and other staff officers. It forms part of the General Staff Branch at AHQ alongside:
Other specialised directorates (Budget, Information Technology, Armoured, Artillery, Signals, Infantry, Education) The directorate maintains sections dealing with current operations, future planning, operational logistics coordination, and liaison with the Armed Forces Division (AFD) and other services (Navy and Air Force) for joint operations.
The primary functions of the DMO include:
In recent years, the DMO has been actively involved in briefing the media and public on the Army's role in maintaining internal stability, seizing illegal arms, arresting suspects, and securing key installations and industrial zones.
Past and present directors and senior officers of the DMO include:
Brigadier General Nayeem Ashfaque Chowdhury (Director, promoted to Major General in 2017 and appointed GOC 55 Infantry Division) Brigadier General Md Nazim-ud-Daula (Director in 2025; later promoted to Major General and appointed GOC Cumilla Area) Colonel Md Shafiqul Islam (Colonel Staff, DMO; conducted multiple press briefings in 2025) Lieutenant General Shafiqur Rahman (former Director, later Chief of General Staff and other senior appointments) Other senior officers such as Colonel Intekhab Haider Khan (Colonel Staff, DMO in 2024) have represented the directorate in official capacities.