Military of Nepal
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The Military of Nepal basically consists of the Nepalese Army
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[edit] Strength
The current strength of Nepal's army is 90,000 troops. It is organized into Combat Divisions and Combat Brigades. As of 2006 the Army has 15 Combat (Infantry) Brigades as follows:
1st Brigade
2nd Brigade
3rd Brigade
4th Brigade
5th Brigade
6th Brigade
7th Brigade
9th Brigade
10th Brigade ( Special Forces )
18th Brigade
19th Brigade
Royal Guards Brigade
20th Brigade
21st Brigade
22nd Brigade
The 23rd and 24th Brigades are in the process of being formed and are partly operational.
[edit] Army Divisions
The Army is divided into five Combat Divisions. This is part of the re-organization of the Military designed to improve its capacity to fight the Maoist Revolt. Each division has a number of Brigades under its control.
Far Western Division-Headquartered at Dipayal
Western Division-Headquartered at Nepalgunj
Central Division-Headquartered at Hetauda
Valley Division-Headquartered at Katmandu
Eastern Division-Headquartered at Itahari
[edit] Organization
The current command and control organization of Nepal's army is set forth in the 1990 Constitution. As of January 2007, it is still Nepal's active constitution. However, the current government has said that it plans to replace the 1990 constitution with a new one. The timeframe for this new constitution is unknown as of now and the possibility remains that the 1990 constitution will only be amended or left as is. It is simply too early to know how this will work out. Until a new or amended constitution comes into effect, the basic layout of command and control is as follows:
[edit] Supreme Command
Atricle 119 of the 1990 constitution states that: "His Majesty the King is the Supreme Commander of the Royal Nepal Army."
[edit] The National Defence Council
This Council has three members, the Prime Minister, the Defence Minister, and the Chief of the Army Staff. In accordance with the Constitution, the King (as Supreme Commander) is to "operate and use" the "Royal Nepal Army on the recommendtion" of this council.
the king doesn't hold the position of the supremem commander of the army and the security council is yet to re elected.
[edit] Ranks
- Pradhan Senadhipati:"Grand" "Commander-in-Chief"
- Field Marshal
- Pradhan Senapati: "Chief General" but usually translated as "Chief of the Army Staff"
- General
- Lieutenant General
- Major General
- Brigadier General
- Colonel
- Lieutenant Colonel
- Major
- Captain
- Lieutenant
- Second Lieutenant
- Subedar Major
- Warrant Officer 1
- Warrant Officer 2
- Sergeant
- Corporal
- Lance Corporal
[edit] Domestic Operations
See article Nepalese Civil War
In November 2001, the Nepalese armed forces began military operations against the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist).
[edit] International Operations
The Nepalese Army has contributed more than 36,000 peacekeepers to a variety of United Nations-sponsored peacekeeping missions such as:
- United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL),
- UNOSOMII the UN Protective Force (UNPROFOR), UN Operational Mission Somalia II,
- UNMIH the United Nations Mission in Haiti.
- UNAMSIL - Currently, Nepal is sending an 800-man battalion to serve in the peacekeeping mission in Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL).
- UNMIS - The Nepalese Army has sent a protectiion company , comprising of 200 personnel in United Nations Mission In Sudan.
- RCHQ - The RCHQ, KASSALA is also manned by the Nepalese Staffs.
[edit] U.S./Nepal military relations
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. Nepali Army 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 Nepalese Army officers to America to attend military schooling such as the Command and General Staff College 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.
[edit] Statistics
Military branches: Nepalese Army (includes 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)
[edit] References
This article contains material from the CIA World Factbook (2003 edition) which, as a US government publication, is in the public domain.
[edit] 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 British 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 Gurkhas 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, with a Britain-India-Nepal Tripartite Agreement signed between the three nations. The Gurkhas are feared troops, and their signature weapon is the extremely effective kukri.
