In a bid to train the concerned personnel, the Nepal Army has started upgrading and equipping the Kavre-based Birendra Peace Operations Training Center (BPOTC) on par with the ‘Center for Excellence’ approach.

The BPOTC is being upgraded in order to meet the latest security challenges encountered by the army personnel at their workplace.

According to the Colonel Manoj Baidawar, the commandant at the Center, a pre-deployment training can also be provided to foreign army personnel after the development of the BPOTC.

“We have been working  more on equipping the center in all ways so that the center can be hailed as one of the best training centers,” said Colonel Manoj.

Moreover, the Nepal Army is planning to expand the BPOTC and has already appealed the Defense Ministry to coordinate in land acquisition.

Nepal has been contributing to the UN Peacekeeping Missions across the world for over 60 years.

The country has sent 129,890 Nepali soldiers for UN Peacekeeping Mission since the first sent Old Gorkha Battalion in 1974.

Currently, over 5,700 Nepali soldiers are serving in more than a dozen countries under the UN Missions, making Nepal the fifth largest contributor to the UN Peacekeeping.

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The government informed that it is ready to make full payment at a go for the purchase of assault rifles from the United States, keeping aside the national procurement law that mandates sum to be paid in three installments.

However, the proposal to amend is yet to be tabled in the Cabinet, says the Ministry of Défense.The decision is expected to ease weapon imports for the Nepal Army to equip its soldiers to be deployed across the globe under the United Nations peacekeeping missions.

As the reports say, the government is hurrying up in the weapon procurement process in line with the decisions taken by the United Nations with regard to its peacekeeping operations.

As per the discussions, every member nation of the peacekeeping operations should have their soldiers fully equipped as soon as UN orders for deployment of troops.

This point was also on priority for the Foreign Minister Gyawali during his recent visit to Washington DC, last week.

According to the Ministry of Defense Spokesperson Baburam Gautam, the government is most likely to clear the way soon for releasing the sum and all the arms consignments are ready to be delivered immediately after the payment.

The government is expected to pay NPR 2.19 billion for this deal agreed in a government-to-government deal with the US Army’s Pacific Command and is considering the full payment at a time after a series of requests made to the US Government.

The deal, which includes 6,492 M-16, M4 and A4 rifles, is expected to replace age-old rifles with the Nepal Army. “It is urgent that our soldiers get modern rifles while they serve in war-torn countries,” says Gautam.

Apart from procuring weapons, four Sky trucks are also coming to Kathmandu from US.

In his recent trip, Gyawali also requested for an upgrade to Nepal’s only peacekeeping training center in Panchkhal, Kavre.

“We have also asked for Washington’s support to preparing the Army for disaster management,” he added.

Nepali Army had acquired M16 rifles for the first time in 2003 under US Government’s support to control the Maoist insurgency. Under the deal, Washington had provided nearly 17,000 sophisticated rifles to the Sher Bahadur Deuba administration.

Will have to see how the government acts on this matter pertaining to strengthening its own Army.

The post UN Peacekeeping Ops: Nepal-US Defense Deal in the Making! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

With the slogan ‘Better to die than be a coward’, Nepali Gurkha soldiers have been at their best in safeguarding their nation and have wide reputation for their efforts over the years.

Impressed by their fighting abilities in Indian wars, British Army joined Nepali Gurkha soldiers under them for pay since 1815.

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