Armies of Nepal, US to discuss defence cooperation at Kathmandu meet

Nepal and the United States armies are all set to hold the three-day bilateral land forces’ talks in Kathmandu from Monday, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Nepal Army spokesperson Brigadier Gen Krishna Prasad Bhandari said that the meeting will be held from March 27 to 29 in Kathmandu. As per Brigadier, over one-and-a-half dozen officials from Nepal and the US will be participating in the talks focussed on capability enhancement of Nepali peacekeepers, humanitarian assistance and disaster response, force professionalisation and experience sharing between the two militaries.
Notably, this is the fourth such meeting where the armies of Nepal and the US will discuss military and defence cooperation.
Nepal Army spokesperson also said that the meeting will discuss disaster response, relief, preparedness, US assistance for Nepal Army personnel deployment and various peacekeeping missions, among others. A Nepali major general and his American counterpart will lead the respective sides in the talks, The Kathmandu Post reported.
The meeting will also discuss military and defence activities and priorities of Nepal and the US, a government official said. Nepal in June last year refused to be a part of the SPP.
The meeting will also discuss the military hardware to be provided to the Nepal Army. During the third meeting of the Nepal-US Land Force Talks in Hawaii in March last year, the US side had asked Nepal to sign the SPP, offering military assistance under the programme, reported The Kathmandu Post.
Separately, Nepal Army has also sent a list of its requirements as per the US pledge for two sky trucks. The Americans have also offered to supply US-made Bell helicopters in the context of Nepal’s preparations to buy two MI-17 helicopters from Russia.
Last year, “they discussed confirming priorities and exploring new opportunities for further collaboration, leading to improved efficiency through greater information sharing in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific,” according to a statement issued by the US, according to The Kathmandu Post.