Nepal Army (Nepali Army): History, Structure, Branches and Strength

The Nepal Army (Nepali: Nepali Sena), also rendered as the Nepalese Army, is the land warfare force of Nepal and the principal component of the country's military. It traces its origin to the Gorkha Kingdom: the first four army units, the Shreenath, Kali Buksh (Kalibox), Barda Bahadur and Sabuj companies, are recorded as having been raised in 1762 by King Prithvi Narayan Shah, the ruler of Gorkha who went on to unify the modern Nepalese state. These early units were drawn largely from the hill communities of the Gorkha region.

Because the unified state expanded out of the principality of Gorkha, the terms 'Gorkhali' and 'Gurkha' became closely identified with Nepali soldiers. The fighting reputation established during the Anglo-Nepalese War (1814-1816) led the British to recruit Nepali hill men into separate Gurkha regiments; the Nepal Army and the British (and later Indian) Gurkha units therefore share a common martial heritage but are distinct institutions.

For most of its modern history the force was styled the Royal Nepal(ese) Army, reflecting the central role of the Shah monarchy, under which the King was the Supreme Commander. This changed during Nepal's political transformation in the 2000s. After the 2006 Loktantra Andolan (Democracy Movement), the reinstated House of Representatives passed a declaration on 18 May 2006 that curtailed royal powers, removed the monarch's role over the army, and dropped the word 'Royal' from its name, bringing the force under civilian (Council of Ministers) control.

The change was consolidated through the Interim Constitution of 2007 and the Army Act 2063. The transition was completed when Nepal was declared a federal democratic republic and the monarchy abolished on 28 May 2008, after which the force is known simply as the Nepal Army (Nepali Army). Command of the army thereby passed from the King to the elected civilian leadership and the President of the republic.

The Nepal Army's mandate and accountability are set out in the Constitution of Nepal (2015) and the Army Act 2063 (2006), the latter available through the Nepal Law Commission. Article 267 of the Constitution makes the President of Nepal the Supreme Commander of the Nepal Army and tasks the force with protecting Nepal's independence, sovereignty, territorial integrity and national unity. The President appoints and removes the Chief of Army Staff on the recommendation of the Council of Ministers.

Day-to-day command rests with the Chief of Army Staff (COAS), a four-star general who heads the Army Headquarters in Bhadrakali, Kathmandu. Mobilisation of the army is regulated by the Constitution: the government may deploy it for development, construction and disaster management under federal law, while mobilisation in a grave emergency (such as war, external aggression or armed rebellion) is declared by the President on the recommendation of the National Security Council and must be ratified by the House of Representatives within one month.

The Nepal Army is organised into regional divisions distributed across the country, together with a range of arms, services and specialist units coordinated from Army Headquarters. Reporting indicates the force is structured around several active combat divisions covering the provinces and the Kathmandu Valley, supported by independent brigades and units.

Beyond its infantry backbone, the army maintains supporting arms and a number of functional directorates that manage areas such as logistics, engineering, signals, medical services, aviation and conservation. The Nepalese Army Air Service (army aviation) provides air mobility, including helicopters used for transport, rescue and relief, while specialist formations cover special operations and training.

Open-source estimates place the Nepal Army's active strength at roughly 90,000 to 100,000 personnel, with reserve elements in addition. Because exact establishment figures are not routinely published, encyclopedic and defence-reference sources cite approximate totals (commonly in the mid-to-high 90,000s of active troops) rather than a single official number.

The army recruits on a voluntary basis from across Nepal's communities and maintains its own training, medical, engineering and aviation capabilities to sustain operations within the country and abroad.

The army's primary role is national defence, the protection of Nepal's sovereignty and territorial integrity. Internationally, it is one of the world's leading contributors of troops and police to United Nations peacekeeping operations; Nepal has taken part in UN missions since 1958 and has contributed well over 100,000 personnel cumulatively across dozens of missions, deploying to numerous active missions at any given time.

Domestically, the constitution authorises the army's use in development, construction and disaster management, and dedicated disaster-response units assist during earthquakes, floods and landslides. A distinctive long-running role is the protection of Nepal's protected areas: under a National Parks and Wildlife Conservation directorate, several thousand soldiers are deployed across national parks, wildlife reserves and conservation areas to deter poaching and encroachment, a model widely credited with helping recover populations of tigers and one-horned rhinoceros.