US Air Force gets first Bangladeshi Brig Gen

Staff Reporter :

Shariful M Khan has made history as the first Bangladeshi-born American to be promoted to brigadier general in the United States Air Force.

The promotion ceremony took place on 20 August at the Pentagon, where Khan took the oath of office, administered by Gen Sean Bratton, Vice-Chief of Space Operations of the US Space Force.

Confirming the milestone on X, M Osman Siddique, the first Muslim to serve as a US ambassador, said: “Born in Bangladesh, Brigadier General Khan is the first and only Bangladeshi-American to attain this rank in the US military. I congratulate him for his loyalty, dedication, and service to our country.”

Brig Gen Khan currently serves as Director of Staff of the Pentagon’s “Golden Dome of America,” overseeing strategy, policy, planning, and cross-functional initiatives across the organisation.

Commissioned from the US Air Force Academy in 1997, Khan has built a distinguished career in space operations, satellite systems, and launch missions.

His service record includes assignments with the National Reconnaissance Office, command of the 379th Space Range Squadron and the 310th Space Wing in Colorado, and two deployments to Kuwait, including as Deployment Commander for Operation Silent Sentry in 2007. He was promoted to colonel in 2017 before attaining his current rank.

Khan’s academic achievements are extensive. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Political Science from the US Air Force Academy, and advanced degrees in space systems operations management, strategic intelligence, military strategy, and national security studies from Webster University, the National Defense Intelligence College, the School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, and the US Naval War College.

He has also completed the MIT National Security Fellowship and a NATO senior officer policy course in Germany.