An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | March 30, 2022

Oregon Guard supports Bangladesh Tiger Lightning 22 exercise

By Master Sgt. Aaron Perkins, Oregon National Guard Public Affairs Office

GAZIPUR, Bangladesh – In the hot March sun at the Bangladesh Institute of Peace Support Operations Training, U.S. military service members partnered with their Bangladeshi counterparts to participate in the Tiger Lightning 2022 training exercise March 19-31.

Members of the 5th Security Force Assistance Brigade (5th SFAB) out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington, the Oregon Army National Guard, and two members from the 303rd Ordnance Battalion, based at Shoefield Barracks, Hawaii, took part in the two-week exercise.

TL22 is a bilateral exercise sponsored by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and hosted by the Bangladesh Armed Forces to strengthen Bangladesh defense readiness and interoperability and reinforce the partnership between the Bangladesh Armed Forces and Oregon State National Guard. The two have been partners under the National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program since 2008.

Approximately 36 U.S. personnel participated in this field training exercise, focusing on combined operations training and regional crisis response capabilities. The Oregon National Guard assisted with key subject matter experts, focusing on the “E” in explosive ordnance disposal and counter-improvised explosive device training (C-IED).

“What I am seeing from this is that people are exchanging experiences,” said Oregon Army National Guard Lt. Col. Demain San Miguel, lead planner for the exercise. “The people know their equipment, they know the capabilities, but they’re sharing their experiences from Mali, Iraq, and Afghanistan, on how the equipment worked and didn’t work, as well as how you can use the equipment together.”

One such piece of equipment the Bangladeshis use is a small, remote-controlled drone in the traditional forces. This commercially produced equipment can give the user all the data they need in a situation while mitigating huge risks for an individual. The Bangladeshi bomb technicians demonstrated by investigating a parked vehicle with an IED inside. The bomb tech used the little drone to inspect the vehicle from a safe distance, then used a remote-controlled wheeled robot with a mechanical claw to remove the IED for detonation.

“I have been impressed by the proficiency of the Bangladesh armed forces in the C-IED field,” said U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Patrick Dean, a C-IED subject matter expert assigned to the Oregon National Guard.

The Oregon delegates noted that the Bangladesh military has experience with U.N. peacekeeping operations.

“They are much further along in their EOD program than one would think,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Grant Holman, a bomb technician assigned to the 303rd Ordnance Battalion. “They have enough working knowledge that their EOD techs would probably pass our EOD training school. They are very capable and understand the actual threats, which makes sense because of their real-world U.N. deployments.”

“Absolutely, 100 percent. It’s very clear that these officers who have deployed to Mali and the Congo know their C-IED procedures. They have different equipment than what we normally use, but they have good procedures built in that helps them unitize all the equipment that they do have very effectively.” said Lt. Col. San Miguel.

San Miguel hopes to have the Bangladeshi C-IED crew visit Oregon in the near future so that they can continue their training on what has been a successful State Partnership Program exercise in the realm of C-IED and EOD training.

 

 

Related Articles
An Oregon Army National Guard HH-60M Black Hawk helicopter, assigned to the 641st Aviation Regiment, conducts a search and rescue mission on July 13, 2025, in the caldera at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. The same Black Hawk later in the day conducted a second rescue mission at Lake Harriett, Southeast of Crater Lake, when three hikers were injured from a falling tree limb.
Oregon Guard Responds to Multiple Search and Rescue Missions
By John Hughel, | July 15, 2025
SALEM, Ore. – The Oregon Army National Guard’s 641st Aviation Regiment worked with several agency partners to respond to multiple search and rescue operations in one day across the state during its scheduled Inactive Duty...

Oregon Army National Guard Golf Company 189th Aviation Spc. Natalie Foote simulates giving rescue breaths to a medical mannequin during the Special User Evaluation for the Future Long Range Aviation Aircraft (FLRAA) MEDEVAC patient handling system at the Army Aviation Support Facility, June 13, 2025, in Salem, Ore. Army Medical Command is using the Future MEDEVAC Cabin Technical Demonstrator to collect flight medic feedback on the design of the FLRAA MEDEVAC patient handling system. Oregon National Guard is the only reserve unit to participate in the Special User Evaluation.
Oregon Army Guard Helps Design Future Medevac Technology
By Staff Sgt. Emily Simonson, | June 18, 2025
SALEM, Ore. - The future of Army flight medicine has been driving across the country in a shipping container for the past year.The Future Medical Evacuation (medevac) Cabin Technical Demonstrator (FMC-TD) is a 20-foot mockup...

Participants gather at the start line in the pre-dawn light at U.S. Cellular Field in Medford, Ore., June 8, 2025, before beginning the Norwegian Foot March. The 18.6-mile endurance test, hosted by the Oregon Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 186th Infantry Regiment, attracted 101 military personnel and civilians carrying 24-pound rucksacks.
Oregon Guard Honors Army's 250th with Norwegian Endurance Challenge
By Maj. Wayne Clyne, | June 9, 2025
MEDFORD, Ore. – As the U.S. Army marks its 250th anniversary, Oregon National Guard Soldiers embraced a fitting tribute – completing one of the military's most demanding endurance tests that has challenged warriors for more...