LtGen Ferdinand M Cartujano PAF (Ret), the President of the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), welcomed the delegates of the National Defense College (NDC) of Bangladesh headed by Brig Gen Kazi Anisuzzaman, NSWC AFWC PSC, on 22 September 2023 at NDCP.

The 19-member NDC of Bangladesh delegation was composed of faculty member, course members, and staff officers. During the visit, the delegates discussed with NDCP counterparts a number of security challenges from the Philippine perspective. NDCP and NDC participants also tackled current geopolitical issues faced by Bangladesh and the Philippines, particularly the South China Sea and the Bay of Bengal. Further, the two institutions shared their intention of increasing exchange programs between their respective countries to strengthen bilateral ties.

Integral to the mandate of NDCP is the establishment of strong mutual relations with other countries in the defense and security sector. In LtGen Cartujano’s remarks, he emphasized how the interaction was one of the many ways by which we could better understand other’s interests and perspectives on various issues of mutual concern, especially in a strategic environment characterized as volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous.