The branches of the armed forces

Armed forces

The armed forces of a country are its government-sponsored defense, fighting forces, and organizations. They exist to further the foreign and domestic policies of their governing body, and to defend that body and the nation it represents from external aggressors. In some countries paramilitary...

 of Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

 are the Royal Bhutan Army

Royal Bhutan Army

The Royal Bhutan Army , 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...

, Royal Bodyguard

Royal Bodyguard

The Royal Bodyguard of Bhutan is a part of the Royal Bhutan Army but independent as it is under the personal command of the King of Bhutan and is in charge of the security of the King of Bhutan and members of the royalty...

s, Militia

Militia

The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...

, and Royal Bhutan Police

Royal Bhutan Police

Law enforcement in Bhutan is the collective purview of several divisions of Bhutan's Ministry of Home and Cultural Affairs. Namely, the Ministry's Bureau of Law and Order, Department of Immigration, and Department of Local Governance are responsible for law enforcement in Bhutan...

. Being a landlocked country, Bhutan doesn't have a navy

Navy

A navy is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake- or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions...

. Additionally, Bhutan does not have an air force

Air force

An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...

, although the Royal Bhutan Army does have a very small air arm which possesses no combat capabilities and is used entirely for transport. India

India

India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

 is responsible for military training, arms supplies and the air defense of Bhutan

Bhutan

Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...

.

Military statistics

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age

Military manpower - availability:

males age 15-49:
491,427 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:

males age 15-49:
262,316 (2000 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:

males:
20,374 (2000 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

Gross domestic product

Gross domestic product refers to the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period. GDP per capita is often considered an indicator of a country's standard of living....

:
1.8%

Army air arm

The Bhutan Air Arm is a tiny but important asset in the inhospitable terrain. It possesses no combat capabilities, and is used entirely for transport. It is likely that Russia will supply further helicopters. In addition to a number of Russian supplied helicopters, one light transport aircraft is also operated. The Royal Bhutan Army also relies on the Eastern Air Command

Eastern Air Command

Eastern Air Command may refer to the following military formations:* Eastern Air Command, Indian Air Force* a former home defence command of the Royal Canadian Air Force* Allied air force units under South East Asia Command, during 1944–45...

 of the Indian Air Force

Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

 for air assistance. In recent years India has helped Bhutan start to develop its military in all areas through military donations and training. Indian Air Force

Indian Air Force

The Indian Air Force is the air arm of the Indian armed forces. Its primary responsibility is to secure Indian airspace and to conduct aerial warfare during a conflict...

 helicopters evacuated RBA casualties to India for treatment during Operation All Clear in 2003.

Aircraft in active service as of January 2009.

! style="text-align: left; background: #aabccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aabccc;"|Source
! style="text-align: left; background: #aabccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aabccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aabccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aabccc;"|Notes
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Helicopters
|-
| Mil Mi-8 Hip

Mil Mi-8

The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....

| /
| transport helicopter
| Mi-8
| 7
|
|-----
! style="align: center; background: lavender;" colspan="7" | Transports
|-
| Dornier 228
|
| transports
| Do 228
| 1
|
|}

External links