NepalORGANIZATION OF THE ARMED FORCES, NEPAL
Figure 11. Nepal: Organization of the Armed Forces, 1991
The organizational structure of the Nepalese defense
establishment reflected the country's indigenous military
traditions, its long association with the British
military, and
reforms introduced by Indian military advisers in the
1950s and
1960s. There was strong reason to suspect that the basic
changes
introduced by the constitution as a result of the success
of the
prodemocracy movement would, in time, lead to new
organizational
arrangements and changes in command and control in line
with the
political realities that emerged in the early 1990s.
Following the British pattern, there was a Ministry of
Defence,
which, in conjunction with the king and the Parliament,
was
responsible for overseeing the military establishment. As
with
other government ministers, the minister of defense (a
portfolio
assumed by Prime Minister G.P. Koirala upon his
government's
assumption of office on May 29, 1991) was a cabinet
official
appointed by the prime minister. Under previous
constitutions, the
king ordinarily assumed the role of minister of defense,
although
routine oversight of the ministry was performed by a
civilian
bureaucrat or army officer who served at the pleasure of
the king.
The Ministry of Defence, located in Kathmandu, was
responsible for
overseeing routine matters such as pay, budget, and
procurement,
although the army high command retained broad discretion
in matters
relating to promotions and recruitment. Real command
authority over
military operations was generally reserved for the king,
who acted
in accordance with the wishes of the National Defence
Council and
the elected civilian government. As of mid-1991, the
degree of
influence these newly chartered organizations had over
military
affairs could not be determined.
The nation's sole regular armed force was the Royal
Nepal Army,
also headquartered in Kathmandu. There was no separate air
force.
The army, however, operated a small air wing, primarily to
transport troops within the country and to aid the
civilian
population during natural disasters. Because Nepal is
landlocked,
the country had no naval capabilities beyond a few small
launches
used by the army to patrol lakes and ford rivers
(see Geography
, ch. 2).
The Royal Nepal Army headquarters was patterned after
the
British and Indian systems. The highest post in army
headquarters
was that of chief of army staff, the only four-star billet
in 1991.
Directly below the chief were five staff sections:
inspector
general, quartermaster general, adjutant general, major
general of
ordnance, and the general staff general
(see
fig. 11). All
sections
were headed by major generals, a two-star billet. Of the
five
sections, the most important was the general staff
general, as all
army field echelons reported to army headquarters through
him. This
office also controlled functional directorates dealing
with
military operations, training, military intelligence,
infantry
brigades, and support units.
Data as of September 1991
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