[6] With intense support from India, the RBA was formed in the 1950s in response to the Chinese annexation and subsequent People's Liberation Army actions in Tibet.

[13] Project DANTAK of the Border Roads Organisation, a subdivision of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, has been operating in Bhutan since May 1961.

[15] Indian Air Force helicopters evacuated RBA casualties to India for treatment during Operation All Clear in 2003.

[16] During the early '90s 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.

The Royal Government of Bhutan, preferring a peaceful solution, declined the offer and instead initiated dialogue with the militant groups in 1998.

[17] Under the leadership of His Majesty the 4th King Jigme Singye Wangchuck the RBA and RBG, with a total strength of 6,000, attacked an estimated 3,000 militants spread across 30 camps.

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 1,000,000 rounds of ammunition.

[8] 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.

[24] Bhutan has a well trained military force, with formidable logistics and effective tactics, as proven in the 2003 Operation all-clear .