|
NepalForce Dispositions and Capabilities
In 1991 the Royal Nepal Army, numbering approximately
35,000,
was the country's sole military force. Army organization
followed
the British pattern. Field formations included fourteen
infantry
brigades. The brigades were numbered consecutively from
one through
sixteen (minus numbers eight and twelve, which were
considered
inauspicious according to Hindu astrology). The fourteen
brigades,
in turn, controlled a variety of units, including infantry
battalions, an airborne unit, an air defense regiment, a
signal
battalion, a transportation regiment, an armored car
company, and
an unknown number of independent infantry companies and
special
forces units.
One of the army infantry battalions served as part of
the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) and
performed
peacekeeping duties in the Arab-Israeli dispute. Personnel
in this
battalion served six-month tours of duty, after which they
returned
home and were replaced by personnel drawn from other units
on a
rotating basis. Selection for service in UNIFIL was highly
coveted
by soldiers of all rank because those who served abroad
received
United Nations-scale pay and perquisites, as well as the
opportunity to purchase consumer items that were
unavailable or
prohibitively expensive at home.
The peacetime disposition of forces underscored the
fact that
the army's primary mission was to back up local police in
maintaining security in the Kathmandu Valley, the seat of
government and the linchpin of political stability in the
country.
Fully half of the army brigades were garrisoned in or
around the
capitol, including the elite Royal Guards Brigade (the
ninth) that
served as the monarchy's praetorian guard. Additionally,
many of
the independent and specialized army units were attached
to
brigades stationed in Kathmandu. These units included an
airborne
battalion (known as the "para battalion") and various
signal,
engineer, artillery, transport, and medical units. Brigade
headquarters outside the capital were located at Pokhara,
Dipayal,
and other towns across the country. Each of the brigades
bore a
distinctive unit nomenclature after the British fashion
and wore
distinctive arm patches. Lower echelon designations within
each
brigade included squadrons and troops (equivalent to
United States
Army companies and platoons, respectively).
Throughout its modern existence, the army has had to
cope with
shortages of virtually every category of weapon and
equipment.
Inventory consisted mostly of obsolete weapons purchased
from, or
donated by, India and Britain. This equipment included
Ferret scout
cars, various calibers of towed artillery pieces and
mortars, and
a diverse array of small arms. During wartime and declared
national
emergencies, the military had the authority to commandeer
private
and state-owned transport assets, such as trucks and buses
for
ferrying troops and supplies. Some miscellaneous equipment
items,
such as communications gear, small arms, and air defense
guns, were
purchased from France, Germany, the United States, and
China. Nepal
lacked both the financial resources to purchase major
equipment
items and a foreign benefactor willing to supply armaments
on a
grant or concessional basis. Consequently, it was unlikely
that
Nepal could sustain high-intensity combat operations
without
massive foreign assistance provided on a timely basis.
The army also supported a modest air wing known as the
Royal
Nepal Army Air Service. Based in Kathmandu and subordinate
to a
brigade, the organization was established in 1979. Its
missions
were to transport troops to far-flung outposts that were
inaccessible by road, to fly paratroopers to drop zones,
and to
assist in civilian relief operations in the aftermath of
natural
disasters such as floods or avalanches. In 1991 the army
air
service inventory included fixed-wing aircraft, such as
Indian-made
HS-748 turboprops, Skyvans, and a DeHaviland Twin Otter.
Its
helicopter inventory included Pumas, a Bell 2061,
Allouettes, and
Chetaks (Indian-made Allouettes). In all, the air order of
battle
totalled about fourteen aircraft of all descriptions, none
of which
were believed to be armed with guns or missiles.
Consequently, the
army air service was considered a logistics support
element as
opposed to an offensive strike asset.
Pilots were trained abroad, primarily in India and
Britain. The
force reportedly suffered critical shortages of
maintenance
personnel, owing to the scarcity of technically competent
recruits
and the attraction of lucrative job offers in the Persian
Gulf and
elsewhere. There were thirty-six airfields in Nepal that
could be
used for military airlift operations. Many of the
airfields were
configured for short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft
operated
by Royal Nepal Airlines, the government-owned commercial
airline.
Commercial aircraft could be pressed into military service
during
emergencies
(see Civil Aviation
, ch. 3). In 1991 the
inventory of
Royal Nepal Airlines totalled eighteen aircraft.
Data as of September 1991
|
