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 limited ground 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. The arms industry is a massive global industry. ...

His Majesty King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev is the Supreme Commander of the Royal Nepal Army (RNA). 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 RNA has sent a protectiion company , comprising of 200 personnel in UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SUDAN(UNMIS). The RCHQ, KASSALA is also manned by the Nepalese Staffs. King Gyanendra King Gyanendra Bir Bikram Shah Dev of Nepal (born July 7, 1947) has been the king of Nepal since June 2001. ... Supreme Commander is a computer game of the Real-Time Strategy genre, developed by Chris Taylors Gas Powered Games and slated for release sometime in 2006. ... The United Nations, or UN, is an international organization established in 1945 and now made up of 191 states. ... UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon) was created in 1978 by the United Nations to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore the international peace and security, and help the Lebanese Government restore its effective authority in the area. ...

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. First established in 1881 as a school for infantry and cavalry, the U.S. Armys Command and General Staff College (C&GSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas functions as a graduate school for U.S. military leaders. ... The United States Army War College is a United States Army school located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, on the 500-acre campus of the historic Carlisle Barracks, a military post dating back to the 1770s. ...

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. This article is about the city. ...

In November 2001, the Nepalese armed forces began military operations against the Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist). The Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) or CPN(M) is a Maoist political party and military organization founded in 1994 and led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal (referred to as Chairman Prachanda). It launched what it refers to as the Nepalese Peoples War on February 13, 1996, and now controls...

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)

References

Some information in this article has been taken from the CIA World Factbook, 2003 edition. World Factbook 2004 cover The World Factbook is an annual publication by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States with basic almanac-style information about the various countries of the world. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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, with a Tripartite Agreement signed between the three nations. The Gurkhas are feared troops, and their signature weapon is the extremely effective kukri. Gurkha Soldiers (1896) Wives and children of Gurkha Soldiers (1896) Gurkha (or Gorkha) are a people from Nepal who take their name from the former city-state of Gorkha, which went on to found the Kingdom of Nepal later on. ... The British Army is the land armed forces branch of the British military. ... The Indian Army (भारतीय सेना Hindi: Bhartiya Sena) is the army of the Republic of India and is the 3rd largest army in the world. ... The English East India Company, sometimes referred to as John Company, was a joint-stock company of investors, which was granted a Royal Charter by Elizabeth I on December 31, 1600, with the intent to favour trade privileges in India. ... An engraving titled Sepoy Indian troops dividing the spoils after their mutiny against British rule gives a contemporary view of events from the British perspective. ... The Tripartite Agreement between the United Kingdom, India and Nepal was a treaty signed in 1947 concerning the rights of Gurkhas in military service. ... The Kukri is a heavy, curved Nepalese knife used as both tool and weapon. ...