Royal Bhutan Army

The Royal Bhutan Army (RBA), formed in 1950, is the all-volunteer army of the Kingdom of Bhutan. Bhutan has a strong warrior tradition going back many centuries. The RBA includes the elite Royal Bodyguard (RBG) and the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP). It is customary, but not obligatory, for one son from each Bhutanese family to serve. In addition, militia may be recruited during emergencies.

Bhutan has a lengthy history of bloodily repelling Tibetan, Nepalese and Indian invaders. A nineteenth century British lieutenant with an expeditionary force from India wrote of his relief that the 'Bhotia' had no firearms, as he had lost fifty-seven of his sepoys to arrows. The country has never been conquered.

Soldiering is one of Bhutan's few pensionable occupations. Welfare funds are raised through the sale of beer and spirits produced at Army distilleries and breweries.

The RBA is a mobile infantry force lightly armed with Indian weapons, engaged mainly in border security, including security at Paro Airport. It may, from time to time, be called on to assist the RBP. Numbers are not published, but there are four operational wings strategically located through the country, each possibly of regimental strength.

The RBA relies heavily on Indian air and ground support and works closely with the Indian Army, which has a permanent training mission in Bhutan (IMTRAT). Officers are usually trained at Indian military schools. Indian troops also support the RBA along the northern border with Chinese Tibet. An engineering division of the Indian Army, DANTAK, uses contract Indian labour to maintain highways in Western Bhutan, which have a strategic value as well as a more obvious economic benefit.

Army troops were in action in late 2003 in the south-eastern dzonkhags, against Assamese guerrilla fighters who had built up a network of permanent jungle refuges there. The guerrillas were all captured, killed or driven back across the border, at the cost of some Bhutanese deaths and injuries. Militia were trained during the weeks leading up to the clearances, to guard vital installations away from the area of conflict.