Royal Bhutan Army The Royal Bhutan Army ( Dzongkha : བསྟན ་ སྲུང ་ དམག ་ སྡེ ་ ; Wylie : " bstan - srung dmag - sde " ) , 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 . The Chief Operations Officer is " Goonglon Wogma " ( Major General ) Batoo Tshering . The RBA includes the Royal Body Guards ( RBG ) , an elite branch of the armed forces responsible for the security of the King , the Royal Family and other VIP s . It is customary , but not obligatory , for one son from each Bhutanese family to serve . 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 . History . The RBA was formed in the 1950s in response to the Chinese take over and subsequent People ' s Liberation Army actions in Tibet with intense pressure by India . In 1958 , the royal government introduced a conscription system and plans for a standing army of 2 , 500 soldiers . The Indian government had also repeatedly urged and pressured Bhutan to end its neutrality or isolationist policy and accept Indian economic and military assistance . This was because India considered Bhutan one of its most vulnerable sector in its strategic defense system in regards to China . When Bhutan accepted the Indian offer , the Indian Army became responsible for the training and equipping of the RBA . By 1968 , the RBA consisted of 4 , 850 soldiers ; by 1990 , this was 6 , 000 . Following the increases after the anti - militant operation in 2003 , the RBA peaked at over 9 , 000 in 2007 before being reduced down to 8 , 000 in 2008 . Relationship with the Indian Armed Forces . The Indian Army maintains a training mission in Bhutan , known as the Indian Military Training Team ( IMTRAT ) , responsible for the military training of RBA and RBG personnel . RBA and RBG officers are sent for training at the National Defence Academy ( NDA ) in Pune , and Indian Military Academy ( IMA ) in Dehradun . Project DANTAK of the Border Roads Organisation , a sub - division of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers , has been operating in Bhutan since May 1961 . Since then Project DANTAK has been responsible for the construction and maintenance of over 1 , 500 km of roads and bridges , Paro Airport and a disused airfield at Yangphula , heliports , and other infrastructure . While these serve India ' s strategic defence needs , they are also an obvious economic benefit for the people of Bhutan . Army aviation . The Royal Bhutan Army relies on Eastern Air Command of the Indian Air Force for air assistance . Indian Air Force helicopters evacuated RBA casualties to India for treatment during Operation All Clear in 2003 . 2003 Operation : All Clear . During the early 90s , the Indian Separatist groups United Liberation Front of Asom ( ULFA ) , National Democratic Front of Bodoland ( NDFB ) and Kamtapur Liberation Organization ( KLO ) had begun to clandestinely set up camps in Bhutan ' s dense southern jungles . These camps were used to train cadres , store equipment , and launch attacks on targets in India . The Bhutanese government became aware of their presence in 1996 and from 1997 , the issue was regularly discussed in the National Assembly . The Government of India began exerting diplomatic pressure on the Royal Government to remove the militant presence and offered conducting joint military operations against the militants . The Royal Government preferring a peaceful solution , declined the offer and instead initiated dialogue with the militant groups in 1998 . By December 2003 , negotiations failed to produce any agreement and the Royal Government unable to tolerate their presence any longer issued a 48 - hour ultimatum on 13 December . On 15 December the RBA commenced military operations against the militant groups . Combat operations . A combined RBA and RBG force of 6 , 000 , it ' s total strength , attacked an estimated 3 , 000 militants spread across 30 militant camps . By 27 December 2003 , all 30 militant camps had been captured . Additionally , the RBA seized " more than 500 AK 47 / 56 assault rifles and 500 other assorted weapons including rocket launchers and mortars , along with more than 100 , 000 rounds of ammunition . An anti - aircraft gun was also found at the site of the GHQ of the ULFA . " By 3 January 2004 , all 30 militant camps ( ULFA - 14 , NDFB - 11 , KLO - 5 ) and an additional 35 observation posts were destroyed and the militants dislodged . A total of 485 ULFA , NDFB , and KLO militants were killed or captured ; those captured along with the seized weapons and ammunition were handed over to the Government of India . Captured non - combatants were handed over to Assamese civil authorities . The RBA suffered 11 soldiers KIA , and 35 WIA . Personnel . As of 2008 , the RBA stood at 8 , 000 active duty personnel . This follows an initiative introduced in 2005 by the Royal Government of Bhutan to reduce the strength of the RBA while increasing militia training of the Bhutanese population . Army Welfare Project . The Army Welfare Project ( AWP ) is a commercial enterprise of the RBA established in 1974 to provide benefits for retired RBA and RBG personnel in the form of employment , pensions , and loans . The AWP manufactures alcoholic beverages in two distilleries located in Gelephu and Samtse . Equipment . The RBA is a mobile infantry force lightly armed with weapons largely supplied by India . Army Aviation . There are also ten Mil Mi - 8 helicopters . Ranks . In 2012 , the following were the ranks within the Bhutanese Army :