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Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division
Principal Staff Officer of Armed Forces Division
সশস্ত্র বাহিনী বিভাগের প্রিন্সিপাল স্টাফ অফিসার
	Crest of Bangladesh Armed Forces
	Flag of Bangladesh Armed Forces
	Incumbent; Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan; since 21 August 2024
	Bangladesh Armed Forces
Status	Executive head of the Armed Forces Division.
Abbreviation	PSO
Member of	National Committee on Security Affairs ; Armed Forces Division
Reports to	President; Chief Adviser; Minister of Defence
Residence	Sena Bhaban, Dhaka Cantonment
Seat	Prime Minister's Office
Appointer	The Chief Adviser; with President advice and consent
Term length	3 years, or at the age of 60, whichever is earlier.
Formation	1972; 53 years ago
First holder	Brigadier General Abul Hasanat Md Abdullah
Salary	৳116080 (US$970); per month; ৳1392960 (US$12,000); annually (incl. allowances)
Website	Official website

The principal staff officer, abbreviated as PSO, is the head of the Armed Forces Division, a ministry level joint forces headquarters under Chief Adviser's office. It acts as the high command of the national armed forces. It is currently held by a three-star rank lieutenant general.

Role and functions

The principal staff officer is the head of Armed Forces Division, which is part of the Chief Adviser's office. He is assisted by a PS (acting PSO) and five departmental heads each one star rank military officer from Bangladesh Armed Forces.^[1]

Under the direct supervision and guidance of the Chief Adviser he has the authority, direction, and control over all operational and administrative services. He also, as per government notification, performs the duties of a full-fledged secretary with full administrative and financial authority as that of a secretary in any other division or ministry.

Appointees

The following table chronicles the appointees to the office of principal staff officer.

Principal Staff Officer	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
Abdullah, Abul Hasanat MdBrigadier General Abul Hasanat Md Abdullah	1972	1975	3–4 years	^[2]
Islam, NurulMajor General Nurul Islam Shishu	19 January 1976	11 December 1980	4 years, 327 days	^[3]
Ali, Mir ShawkatLieutenant General Mir Shawkat Ali (1938–2010)	12 December 1980	30 June 1985	4 years, 200 days	^[4]
Chowdhury, ImamuzzamanMajor General Imamuzzaman Chowdhury	18 December 1990	11 September 1996	5 years, 268 days
Salam, AbdusMajor General Abdus Salam (born 1942)	15 September 1996	10 January 1999	2 years, 117 days	^[5]
Bhuiyan, ShubidMajor General Shubid Ali Bhuiyan (born 1945)	12 January 1999	12 April 2004	5 years, 91 days	^[6]
Nur, A.I.M.Major General A. I. M. Mostofa Reza Nur Psc	12 April 2004	6 June 2006	2 years, 55 days
Chowdhury, JahangirMajor General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury Ndc, psc (born 1953)	8 June 2006	5 June 2007	362 days	^[7]
Chowdhury, MasudLieutenant General Masud Uddin Chowdhury Ndu, psc (born 1954)	5 June 2007	2 June 2008	363 days	^[8]
Mubeen, MdLieutenant General Md Abdul Mubeen Ndc, psc (born 1955)	4 June 2008	12 June 2009	1 year, 8 days	^[9]
Wadud, AbdulLieutenant General Abdul Wadud Ndc, psc	13 June 2009	1 January 2013	3 years, 203 days
Huq, ShafiulLieutenant General Abu Belal Muhammad Shafiul Haque Ndc, psc (born 1958)	1 January 2013	24 June 2015	2 years, 174 days
Islam, MoinulLieutenant General Mainul Islam Afwc, psc (born 1959)	1 July 2015	31 January 2016	214 days	^[10]
Rahman, MdLieutenant General Md Mahfuzur Rahman Rcds, ndc, afwc, psc, PhD (born 1961)	1 February 2016	24 November 2020	4 years, 298 days	^[11]
Rahman, MdLieutenant General Waker-uz-Zaman (born 1966)	24 November 2020	29 December 2023	3 years, 35 days	^[12]
Lieutenant General Mizanur Rahman Shamim (born 1968)	29 December 2023	6 August 2024	221 days
Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan	21 August 2024	present	134 days

References

^ Division, Armed Forces. "Officer's in AFD". www.afd.gov.bd. Archived from the original on 2016-11-24. Retrieved 2016-12-02.
^ "History of AFD". Armed Forces Division. Retrieved 2022-04-28.
^ Ahmed, Moudud (1995). Democracy and the Challenge of Development: A Study of Politics and Military Interventions in Bangladesh. Vikas Publishing House. p. 142. ISBN 0706997263.
^ Hossain, Urmee (2012). "Ali, Lt General Mir Shawkat". In Islam, Sirajul; Jamal, Ahmed A. (eds.). Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.). Asiatic Society of Bangladesh.
^ Khanam, Rashida (2008). The Nature of Legitimacy and the Crisis of Bangladesh Politics 1972-1990. A H Development Publishing House. p. 244.
^ "Bio". Shubid Ali Bhuiyan. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
^ Ved, Mahendra (June 2007). "Bangladesh upgrades Top Brass". India Strategic. Retrieved 2016-12-06.
^ "Gen Masud made NDC chief in army changes". bdnews24.com. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
^ "Lt Gen Mubin new army chief". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2016-12-05.
^ "Lt Gen Moinul Islam takes over as new Armed Forces Division PSO". bdnews24.com. 1 July 2015.
^ "Lt Gen Mahfuzur Rahman appointed as new Armed Forces Division PSO". bdnews24.com. 1 February 2016.
^ "Lieutenant General Wakar made PSO". New Age. 30 November 2020.