Table of Contents
BIMSTEC MILITARY EXERCISE
The first BIMSTEC field training exercise will be conducted at Foreign Training Node at Aundh in Pune, Maharashtra from September 10 and 16, 2018.
Armies of BIMSTEC members including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Myanmar, Thailand and Nepal were to participate in it. (But not all of them participated)
THEME
The theme of exercise includes counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain and cordon and search.
The main aim of this military exercise is to promote strategic alignment among the memberstates and to share best practices in the area of counter-terrorism.
NOTES
The exercise was required platoon-level participation of around 30 soldiers from each BIMSTEC member countries for exercises involving counter-terrorism in semi-urban terrain and cordon and search Nepal will be only sending three-member observer team
THAILAND AN OBSERVER TOO
Thailand, in turn, will also be sending only observers due to “prior commitments”.
THE INTERESTING CASE OF NEPAL
On Friday, following the instructions from Prime Minister KP Oli, the Nepal Army had withdrawn from the military exercise scheduled to kick off in Pune on Monday. Although there has not been an official announcement, three Nepal Army officials who had already reached Pune last week will remain there as observers
NEPAL – FLIP FLOP
Nepalese foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali had earlier in the week said there was no discussion held or agreement reached about the military exercise during the 4th BIMSTEC summit in Kathmandu on August 30-31. Bimstec is purely a developmental forum among the seven member countries, which does not prioritise military exercises
NOTES
Though PM Narendra Modi, addressing the inaugural session of the summit, had proposed to host the joint military exercise in India in the second week of September, Gyawali later said, “India was free to float the agenda, but we did not endorse it.”
INDO NEPAL DEFENCE TIES
Incidentally, India and Nepal have long-standing deep linkages in the military arena, with over 30,000 Nepalese Gorkhas currently serving in the Indian Army’s seven Gorkha Rifles and some paramilitary forces. The two armies also regularly hold their annual Surya Kiranbilateral exercise, with the 13th edition of it being held at Pithoragarh in June.
NEPAL – ARMY ISSUES
After half-a-decade of military prominence following the Maoist insurgency, political parties pushed for democratising the Nepal Army and bringing it under civilian control after the 2006 political changes. The Nepal Army, however, was not very happy with the agenda and resisted any such move to maintain civilian control. Successive governments after 2006 formed committees to formulate a plan for democratising the functioning of the army but the reports of such committees are gathering dust.
OLI – PRACHANDA
Prachanda is expected to replace Oli after the latter completes two-and-a-half years in the government, if the agreement rotational on power sharing is honoured.
BIMSTEC FIREPOWER
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