Royal Bhutanese Army
| Royal Bhutan Army | |
|---|---|
| བསྟན་སྲུང་དམག་སྡེ་ | |
Flag of Royal Bhutan Army
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| Founded | 1958 |
| Service branches |
 Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan
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| Headquarters | Lungtenphu, Thimphu |
| Website | www |
| Leadership | |
| Chief | Batoo Tshering |
| Supreme Commander | His Majesty Druk Gyalpo Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck |
| Related articles | |
| History | Military history of Bhutan |
The Royal Bhutan Army (Dzongkha: བསྟན་སྲུང་དམག་སྡེ་ patan-srung mak-de), or RBA, is a branch of the armed forces of the Kingdom of Bhutan responsible for maintaining the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty against security threats. The King of Bhutan is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the RBA. The Chief Operations Officer is Goonglon Gongma (Lt. Gen.) Batoo Tshering.
The RBA includes the Royal Body Guards (RBG), an elite branch of the armed forces responsible for the security of the King, the Royal Family and other VIPs.
It was customary, but not obligatory, for one son from each Bhutanese family to serve in the army. In addition, militia may be recruited during emergencies. It may, from time to time, be called on to assist the Royal Bhutan Police (RBP) in maintaining law and order.
With intense support from India, the RBA was formed in the 1950s in response to the Chinese take over and subsequent People's Liberation Army actions in Tibet. In 1958, the royal government introduced a conscription system and plans for a standing army of 2,500 soldiers. The Indian government had also repeatedly urged and pressured Bhutan to end its neutrality or isolationist policy and accept Indian economic and military assistance. This was because India considered Bhutan one of the most vulnerable sectors in its strategic defense system in regards to China. When Bhutan accepted the Indian offer, the Indian Army became responsible for the training and equipping of the RBA. By 1968 the RBA consisted of 4,850 soldiers; by 1990 this had risen to 6,000. Following the increases after an anti-militant operation in 2003, the RBA peaked at over 9,000 in 2007 before being reduced to 8,000 in 2008.
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