STRATEGIC AND OPERATIONAL LEVEL MILITARY EDUCATIONAL IMPERATIVES AND THEIR IMPLEMENTATION: THE CASE OF BANGLADESH

Abstract

The ultimate goal of military education is to aim for professional excellence. This requires
a prudent and discreet understanding of what is exactly needed as course materials so that the
officers’ corps gets access to the right kind of knowledge. Designing the syllabi of such education
is in itself a creative and dynamic process. Usually academic objectives must conform to the three
levels of military operations; tactical, operational and strategic. While it is easier to formulate
a modular design for education at the tactical and operational levels, making the course contents
worthwhile and interesting at the strategic level is a more complex task. What is needed at this
level is a fine balance between military and non-military subjects. The objective must be to arrive
at a synergy between military imperatives and non-military issues whose combined effects should
lead to clear insights into security studies that will have a bearing upon human development. Such
a multi-dimensional approach to security must reflect its cognitive value into the minds of both
military officers and civil servants to elevate them to the higher echelons of policy making. This
paper discusses the significance of military education with regard to areas where attention needs to
be paid at the three distinct levels.