By: Warren Gray

Copyright © 2022

“If a man says he is not afraid of dying,

he is either lying, or he is a Gurkha.”

— Former Indian Army Chief of Staff Field

Marshal Sam Manekshaw, 1914-2008.

The Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal has the rare distinction of holding eight of the 10 tallest mountains in the world, including Mount Everest (29,032 feet tall), within the Great Himalayan Range, along the Chinese border. The nation is landlocked in South Asia, between Tibet Province of China, and northeastern India. It is only slightly larger than the U.S. state of Iowa, and smaller than Illinois.

According to Hindu mythology (the primary religion, practiced by 81 percent of the population), Nepal derives its name from an ancient, Hindu sage called Ne, and the word pala in the official, Pali/Nepali language means “to protect.” So, Nepāla, or Nepal, translates to “protected by Ne.” Norwegian scholar Christian Lassen has alternately suggested that Nepāla was a compound of Nipa (“foot of a mountain”) and -ala (short suffix for alaya, meaning “abode”). So, Nepāla may mean “abode at the foot of the mountain.” Nepal has the second-largest number of Hindus in the world, after India, and Nepal’s flag is the only national flag in the world that is not rectangular in shape.

The poor (only $1,090 per capita, annual income), remote, mountainous country was a kingdom under the Shah Dynasty from 1768 until 2008. This dynasty followed the bloody, Nepali Civil War of 1996 to 2006, initiated by Maoist (Communist Party) rebels, and killing more than 17,000 people. It ended with a peace accord in November 2006, resulting in the collapse of the Nepalese kingdom in 2008, and the establishment of the present-day, Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal. This parliamentary republic currently is led by a female president, Bidya Devi Bhandari, and a male prime minister. One of the three primary, political parties is the Nepal Communist Party, due to the aftermath of the civil war.

Nepal is a multi-ethnic, multi-lingual, multi-religious, and multi-cultural state, with Nepali as the official language. Kathmandu is the nation’s capital and largest city. One of the more-notable, ethnic groups of Nepal was the Gorkha (spelled “Gurkha” until 1949) population, whose fierce performance in battle during the Anglo-Nepalese War of 1814 to 1816 impressed the British Army so much that they began hiring Gurkha defectors as spies or irregular forces. By 1815, there was a full, British regiment of 5,000 Gurkha light, infantry soldiers.

Gurkhas continued to serve with the British Army and still do to this very day, over 207 years, distinguishing themselves in countless wars, including World War One. In the WWI, Battle of Loos in 1915, a battalion of the 8th Gurkhas fought to the last man, hurling themselves relentlessly against the German defenses. In World War Two more than a quarter-million Gurkhas served in 40 battalions, plus eight Nepalese Army battalions, some as paratroopers, earning over 2,700 bravery awards in the process, and sustaining 32,000 casualties in all theaters, and many wars since those.

British journalist Annabel Venning wrote for The Daily Mail on June 5, 2015, that, “Those who are recruited into The Royal Gurkha Rifles face the most-arduous, military selection test in the world, to whittle 8,000 applicants down to 230 recruits. Its finale is the doko, a run up more than three miles of vertiginous (extremely high or steep) hillside, in which they must carry 55 pounds of rocks on their backs, in less than 48 minutes.”

Gurkha paratrooper in the British Army, with classic, khukuri combat knife. Photo credit: Pinterest.

Today, the British Army still has the time-honored Brigade of Gurkhas, including three battalions of Royal Gurkha Rifles, a support battalion, signals battalion, logistics regiment, the Queen’s Gurkha Engineers (two squadrons), plus Gurkha companies at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, the Infantry Battle School, and the Land Warfare Centre. Between 1858 and 1965, 26 Victoria Crosses, Britain’s supreme decoration for valor in combat, were awarded to soldiers of Gurkha regiments, making them the most-decorated brigade in the British Army.

One of the amazing heroes was Rifleman Lachhiman Gurung, known as “the Gurkha who took on 200 soldiers with only one hand.” He stood only four feet, 11 inches tall, when he fought the Japanese in Burma on May 12-13, 1945. His Victoria Cross citation reads, in part, “His platoon…bore the brunt of an attack by at least 200 of the Japanese enemy. He hurled back two hand grenades, which had fallen in his trench, but the third exploded in his right hand after he attempted to throw it back, blowing off his fingers, shattering his arm, and severely wounding him in the face, body, and right leg.

“The rifleman, now alone and disregarding his wounds, loaded and fired his rifle with his left hand for four hours (all while he screamed ‘Come and fight a Gurkha!’), calmly waiting for each attack, which he met with fire at point-blank range. Of the 87 enemy dead counted in the immediate vicinity…31 lay in front of this Rifleman’s section…This Rifleman, by his magnificent example, so inspired his comrades to resist the enemy to the last, that, although surrounded and cut off for three days and two nights, they held and smashed every attack. His outstanding gallantry and extreme devotion to duty, in the face of almost overwhelming odds, were the main factors in the defeat of the enemy.”

A retired, Gurkha soldier wearing his Victoria Cross medal. Photo credit: Reddit.

The Victoria Cross. Photo credit: craiglawrence.co.

The modern, Nepali Army, technically the Gorkhali (or Gorkha/Gurkha) Army, with 95,000 men and women on active duty, is an all-volunteer force. These soldiers primarily secure critical assets, conduct anti-poaching patrols (preserving their Bengal tigers, Asiatic elephants, red pandas, wild water buffalo, greater one-horned rhinoceros, and 83 more threatened species of wildlife) in national parks, complete counterinsurgency, and perform search-and-rescue during natural disasters.

Nepal depends upon diplomacy for national defence, maintains a policy of neutrality between its neighbors, has amicable relations with other countries in the region, and has a policy of non-alignment on the global stage. It pursues a policy of “balanced relations” and neutrality with India and communist China, with China actually viewed favorably, due to the absence of any border disputes or serious interference in internal politics.

Nepal has also been a major contributor to U.N. peacekeeping missions over the years. It has sent more than 119,000 soldiers (25-percent greater than the size of their entire army) on 42 missions since 1958, including operations in Haiti, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Sierra Leone, Somalia, and Sudan, among other world hotspots.

Three battalions of the Nepali Army are considered to be Special Forces under the Special Operations Forces Brigade (No. 10 Brigade), including the Shree Singhanath Battalion (Commandos), the Israeli-trained, Shree Bhairavnath Battalion (Parachute Battalion) from Maharajgunj, and the Shree Mahabir Battalion (Rangers Battalion, equivalent to U.S Army Rangers.) The Mahabir Rangers are the best-qualified unit, essentially paratroopers and elite commandos, wearing U.S.-style, Ranger tabs in English on their left shoulders, and Airborne tabs, as well. They’re highly trained in martial arts, static-line and freefall parachuting techniques, and unconventional warfare.

Nepali Army Rangers performing freefall parachuting in 2017. Photo credit: The Kathmandu Post.

As a very poor, geographically-isolated nation, one of the 10 least-urbanized in the world, Nepal depends upon the generosity of its friends and allies for military equipment, which is frequently donated, or supplied at a low cost. Nepal spends 1.4 percent of its GDP on defense, which is similar to many NATO nations’ expenditures, particularly Albania, Canada, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Italy, and the Netherlands, so they are clearly making an effort to provide national defense. Nepal was the first South Asian nation to establish diplomatic relations with Israel, resulting in extensive, military support in the form of parachute training and new weapons, especially for the Special Forces units.

The Nepali armed forces wear the DPM-pattern (Disruptive-Pattern Material, not the same as British DPM, though) camouflaged uniform, with dark-green beret in garrison for all soldiers, including the Special Forces battalions. Here are their primary weapons and equipment of the Nepali Army and Special Forces units:

Pistols: The FN (Belgian) P-35 Hi-Power is the standard, service pistol. This is an older but excellent weapon, which has served military forces in 95 nations worldwide since 1935 with distinction. It is still the primary pistol of Argentina, Australia, Canada, India, Indonesia, and formerly, the United Kingdom (until 2013.)

Assault Rifles: The Colt M16A2 in 5.56mm is the nation’s standard service rifle, although the M4A1 carbine and the older CAR-15 carbine, are also in use. Other assault rifles in this caliber are the Indian INSAS rifle, the H&K (German) G36 series, the Israeli IMI Galil rifle, and IMI Galil ACE-22 in 5.56mm. Nepali Special Forces specifically use the new, Israeli Tavor TAR-21 bullpup, carbine and Tavor X95 carbine, both in 5.56mm.

U.S. Special Forces advisor, and Nepali Army Rangers with Tavor TAR-21 carbines. Photo credit: usdefensestory.com.

Battle Rifles: The combat-proven, FN FAL (Belgian) rifle in 7.62x51mm NATO is widely used, together with the British L1A2 SLR (an FAL variant.) The IWI (Israeli) Galil ACE 52 rifle in 7.62mm is one of their newer weapons.

Submachine guns: These include the H&K (German) MP5 series, the outdated, British Sten and Sterling, and the Israeli Uzi, all chambered in 9x19mm.

Sniper rifles: The H&K (German) PSG1 A1 in 7.62x51mm NATO is the standard, sniper rifle.

Nepali Army Rangers with H&K PSG1 A1 sniper rifle and military binoculars. Photo credit: usdefensestory.com.

Machine guns: Medium machine guns include the FN MAG (Belgian) in 7.62x51mm, and the British Bren L4A4. Light machine guns are the FN Minimi (Belgian) and nearly-identical, American M249 in 5.56x45mm.

Fighting knives: The classic and famous, forward-curving, Gurkha khukuri combat knife is the symbolic weapon of the Nepali Army, as seen below.

Standard-issue, Nepali Army khukuri knife.

Vehicles: The Nepali Army uses 40 Daimler (British) Ferret Mk. 4 (FV711) armored scout cars, 63 Chinese VN-4 vehicles (similar to American Humvees) with machine gun, and five Chinese WZ-551 6×6 armored personnel carriers with 25mm or 30mm cannon armament. Some of the Ferret scout cars (4×4, 35 tons, 130 HP, 58 mph) have been modified by mounting a Type 58/ZPU-2 twin-barrel, 14.5mm heavy machine gun system, as shown next.

Nepali Army Daimler Ferret Mk. 4 with Type 58/ZPU-2 14.5mm guns. Photo credit: The Kathmandu Post.

Nepal has no air force, so the Nepalese Army Air Service, established in 1979, provides all air support to the army and its special operations units. The air force focuses on troop transports, paratroopers, patrols, search-and-rescue operations, assisting with emergency situations, and natural disasters. The 11th Brigade, their only aviation unit, has approximately 500 members and is based at Kathmandu-Tribhuvan Airport (elevation 4,390 feet). That said, there are also 36 airfields around the nation that are capable of supporting military flight activities.

Their current inventory consists of two AW139 (Italian) transport helicopters (one for military use and one for VIP transport duties), two H125M/AS350 (French) Écureuil (“Squirrel”) light helicopters, four Mi-171/Mi-17V-5 (Russian-made but both Mi-171s were supplied by the British) Hip-H military transport/paratrooper helicopters, one CASA (Spanish-made, but from Indonesian source) CN235-220M transport, three PZL (Polish) M28 Skytruck transports/paratrooper aircraft, one BN-2 Islander (British)  reconnaissance/transport aircraft, three Bell (American) 407GXP utility helicopters, one HAL (Indian) Dhruv utility/rescue helicopter, and apparently four HAL (Indian) Lancer light-attack helicopters, each armed with two FN RMPs (Rocket and Machine-gun Pods), mounting an FN M3P .50-caliber machine gun and three 70mm rockets per pod.

HAL Lancer (made in India) light-attack helicopter, with FN RMP gun/rocket pods. It strongly resembles the old, Bell OH-13/AH.1 Sioux, formerly operated by the Indian Air Force. Photo credit: airwar.ru.

While Nepal is a small, poor country in a very strategic location between two gigantic and heavily armed neighbors, the lofty heights of the snowcapped Himalayan Mountains serve as its best protection against foreign aggression or invasions. The Nepali Special Forces are their first line of defense, and although they haven’t fought in recent wars, they’re constantly honing their military skills on dangerous peacekeeping operations or in joint exercise with U.S., British, Israeli, and other troops from friendly nations.

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Warren Gray is a retired, U.S. Air Force intelligence officer with experience in joint special operations and counterterrorism. He served in Europe and Southwest Asia, earned Air Force and Navy parachutist wings, four college degrees, and was a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Intelligence Operations Specialist Course, and the USAF Combat Targeting School. He is currently a published author, historian, and hunter. You may visit his web site at: warrengray54.vistaprintdigital.com.