Royal Bhutan Army | |
---|---|
བསྟན་སྲུང་དམག་སྡེ་ | |
Founded | 1958 |
Service branches | Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan |
Headquarters | Lungtenphu, Thimphu |
Website | rba.bt |
Leadership | |
Druk Gyalpo | Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck |
Chief operations officer | Batoo Tshering |
Personnel | |
Military age | 18 |
Conscription | Voluntary |
Active personnel | 8,000 (approximately) |
Related articles | |
History | Military history of Bhutan |
Ranks | Military ranks of Bhutan |
The Royal Bhutan Army (RBA; Dzongkha: བསྟན་སྲུང་དམག་སྡེ་, romanized: bStan-srung dmag-sde)[1] 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 Druk Gyalpo is the Supreme Commander in Chief of the RBA.[2] The Chief Operations Officer is Goonglon Gongma (Lt. Gen.) Batoo Tshering.[3][4]
The RBA includes the Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan (RBG), an elite branch of the armed forces responsible for the security of the King, the royal family and other officials.[5]
It was customary, but not obligatory, for one son from each Bhutanese family to serve in the army.[5] 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.[6]