|| Online Desk: Prime Minister Tarique Rahman on Sunday asked the members of the Navy and Air Force Selection Board to give priority to merit, competence, leadership qualities, discipline, integrity, loyalty and suitability for promotion of officers without being influenced by political ideology or personal preference."Bangladesh Navy and Air Force, alongside safeguarding the country's independence and sovereignty, have been making crucial contributions to maintaining internal peace, discipline and stability and assisting the civil administration in tackling disasters," he said. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the Navy and Air Force Selection Board-2026 at the Air Force Headquarters this morning, said his Deputy Press Secretary Jahidul Islam Rony. The board will consider eligible officers of the Bangladesh Navy holding the ranks of captain, commander and lieutenant commander and officers of the Bangladesh Air Force holding the ranks of group captain, wing commander and squadron leader for promotion to the next ranks. On his arrival at the Air Force Headquarters, the Prime Minister was received by his Defence Adviser Brigadier General (retd) Dr AKM Shamsul Islam, Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Khondkar Misbah ul Azim and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan. Before opening the selection board, the Prime Minister adorned Chief of Naval Staff Khandker Misbah Ul Azim with the Admiral rank badge and congratulated him on his appointment as the new Navy chief.Admiral Khandker Misbah ul Azim expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister on behalf of the Bangladesh Navy and sought his guidance to further develop the force as a modern, capable and time-befitting navy.In his address to the selection board, the Prime Minister paid tribute to Shaheed President Ziaur Rahman and former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia. He also recalled with deep respect the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War, the martyrs of the 2024 mass uprising, and those who were killed or injured in movements for democracy and people's rights from 1971 to 2024.He paid homage to all martyrs, wounded freedom fighters and valiant freedom fighters of the Liberation War, particularly the martyrs and heroes of the armed forces, including the Navy and Air Force.The Prime Minister thanked the chiefs and all members of the Navy and Air Force for their sacrifice and contribution to the country. He later inspected several important operational installations of the Bangladesh Air Force.At the Air Defence Operations Centre (ADOC) in Dhaka Cantonment, he unveiled the inaugural plaque of the Air Defence System Integration (ADSI) and inspected its air defence activities.He also visited the Air Command Operations Centre (ACOC), where he observed through its Digital Large Display the interception of enemy aircraft by Air Force fighter aircraft and troops insertion by helicopters using a live feed from unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) operating from Chattogram.Later, the Prime Minister visited the Aerospace Research and Development Complex (ARDC) and observed its research activities.During the visit, different types of indigenous UAVs developed by the Bangladesh Air Force, including drones, kamikaze drones, interceptor drones and vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) UAVs, were displayed. He also observed the flight of a quadcopter.The Prime Minister expressed hope that developing such advanced aerial systems through the Air Force's own technological capabilities would mark significant progress in research, innovation and technological self-reliance.The Defence Adviser to the Prime Minister, chiefs of the Navy and Air Force, Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Division, Defence Secretary and senior officials of the armed forces were present.