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Nepal's
military consists of an army of about 40,000 troops
formerly organized into seven infantry brigades including
a Royal Palace brigade. The remaining brigades have
been disbanded and the army is being retrained and redeployed
to deal with the insurgency. There are 36 separate companies
located throughout the country. The Air Wing consists
of both helicopters and fixed wing transports with limitedground
support capability. Training assistance is funded by
an annual International Military
Education and Training Program (IMET) grant, with
training assistance provided by India,
Pakistan,
Bangladesh,
the United Kingdom,
and the United
States.
His Majesty King Gyanendra
Bir Bikram Shah Dev is the Supreme Commander of
the Royal Nepal Army
(RNA) while Prime Minister Sher
Bahadur Deuba also serves as the Minister of Defense.
General Pyar Jung Thapa
is the Chief of Army Staff. The RNA has contributed
more than 36,000 peacekeepers to a variety of United
Nations-sponsored peacekeeping missions such as
UN
Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the UN
Protective Force (UNPROFOR), UN
Operational Mission Somalia II (UNOSOMII), and UN Mission in Haiti
(UNMIH). Currently, Nepal is sending an 800-man battalion
to serve in the peacekeeping mission in Sierra
Leone (UNAMSIL).
The U.S.-Nepali military
relationship focuses on support for democratic institutions,
civilian control of the military, and the professional
military ethic to include respect for human rights.
Both countries have had extensive contact over the years.
RNA units have served with distinction alongside American
forces in places such as Haiti, Iraq, and Somalia.
U.S.-Nepali military
engagement continues today through IMET, Enhanced
International Peacekeeping Capabilities (EIPC),
and various conferences and seminars. The U.S. military
sends many RNA officers to America to attend military
schooling such as the Command
and General Staff School and the U.S.
Army War College. The IMET budget for FY2001 was
$220,000.
The EPIC program is
an interagency program between the Department of Defense
and the Department of State to increase the pool of
international peacekeepers and to promote interoperability.
Nepal received about $1.9 million in EPIC funding.
Commander
in Chief, Pacific (CINCPAC) coordinates military
engagement with Nepal through the Office
of Defense Cooperation (ODC). The ODC Nepal is located
in the American Embassy, Kathmandu.
In
November 2001, the Nepalese armed forces began military
operations against the Communist
Party of Nepal (Maoist).
Statistics
Military
branches: Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal
Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force
Military
manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military
manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 6,674,014 (2003 est.)
Military
manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,467,511 (2003 est.)
Military
manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 303,222 (2003 est.)
Military
expenditures - dollar figure: $57.22 million
(FY02)
Military
expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.1% (FY02)
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Gurkhas
Nepal is also notable
for the Gurkhas.
Significant sections of the British
Army and Indian Army are recruited
from this ethnic group. This arrangement comes from
the days of the East
India Company's rule of India
when Company troops tried to invade Nepal and were beaten
back. Both sides were impressed with the other, and
Gurkhas were recruited into the Company's forces. The
Ghurkhas remained loyal during the Indian
Mutiny of 1858 and were kept on in the Indian Army
thereafter. Upon Indian independence in 1947, some units
went to British service and some to Indian service.
The Gurkhas are feared troops, and their signature weapon
is the extremely effective kukri.
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