The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the Royal Gurkha Rifles will continue utilising Brunei’s jungle training facilities, while also restating the British Army’s intent to recruit female Gurkhas—pending continued discussions with the Government of Nepal.
In response to a written question from James Cartlidge MP, Defence Minister Luke Pollard stated: “The resident Battalion of The Royal Gurkha Rifles continue to make use of jungle training in Brunei within the permitted training parameters.”
Brunei hosts a permanent British Army presence including a battalion of Gurkhas, where the unique terrain and tropical conditions provide an ideal environment for specialist jungle warfare training. The base has long been viewed as a strategic asset, enabling the British Army to maintain vital skills in a region of growing strategic interest.
Separately, in answers to questions from Dr Andrew Murrison MP, the Ministry reiterated its admiration for the Brigade of Gurkhas and confirmed that while there is currently no fixed number of recruits planned for the next five years, annual recruitment is determined by operational needs.
“The number of recruits required for the Brigade of Gurkhas is managed on an annual basis and depends on factors such as retirements, transfers and any changes in unit Order of Battles,” Pollard said, adding that it is therefore not possible to provide a projected intake for the coming years.
Notably, the minister confirmed that the British Army has communicated its wish to begin recruiting women into the Brigade of Gurkhas—an historic change, as all current Gurkha soldiers in the British Army are men. “The British Army’s wish to recruit women has been communicated to the Government of Nepal and we will continue to engage them on this subject,” Pollard confirmed.
In short
The UK has formally expressed its wish to recruit female Gurkhas, but implementation depends on agreement from Nepal. The British Army cannot unilaterally recruit women into the Gurkhas without Nepal’s consent, as the recruitment of Gurkhas is governed by long-standing bilateral arrangements between the UK and Nepal.
Why? what is reason behind it? i’m not against it but normally such things are done for all the wrong reasons, other cultures are not our culture. Yet have we mess about and impose things to keep the PC lot happy.
If its to form new branches etc then go for it, or fill gaps. Do for the right reasons not just to box tick.
The reason is that that is what the ideology demands… there is no other reason. Non serious people only need ideology. They dont need anything else.
Why not?
That’s morally a difficult one to say no, but pragmatically easy to say no, in that the Gurkha regiment are massive over subscribed.
My view would actually be if your being really morally sound and very pragmatic at the same time ( and I prefer that way of doing things) due to wider recruitment issues, why not open up wider army posts to that specific ethic group ( men and women) due to its long term cultural ties to the British army.
The wider army is open to “that specific ethnic group” (or more specifically “those specific ethnic groups” as even before they opened the recruitment up it was open to at least 3 different ethnicities). Gurkha vs regulars has much less to do with ethnicity and much more to do with legal status. Plenty of “2nd Generation” Gurkha’s serve in regular roles in the wider army, since as British Citizens born in the UK they just go through the normal Army application process, there are also plenty of Gurkha’s who have re-capbadged in the course of their career, which comes with some advantages, but also means loosing some of the rights they get as Gurkha’s (eg they get moved onto the British Pension Scheme, I think they also loose the rights to free flights back to Nepal but I’m not sure).
The way the Brigade of Gurkha’s and RGR view it, as I understand it, is that they don’t want want to open up wider army posts to Gurkha’s because it makes protecting their pids a lot harder (effectively they have guaranteed Nepali slots within the Army, and can count on those jobs going to Nepali citizens, which if the wider army was open, yes potentially they might get more openings, but they also couldn’t be guaranteed the ones they have right now if that makes sense?). I think this is one of the reasons we are unlikely to see the old 3 RGR Incremental Coys ever be fully integrated into 2 and 4 Ranger, it’s very much not in the interest of BoG and RGR to see that happen. (Even if it probably would make life considerably easier for both Regiments frankly).
The Gurkhas are some mean fellas and just like the FFL I can’t see them having women on board without diluting at least a bit their fearsome reputation
Tulltzter, if this plan goes forward, there is no certainty that young Nepalese women would want to join the Infantry. Plenty of other capbadges and trades available in ‘the brigade of Gurkhas’.
Basically, applications to the British Army from male Gurkhas are on a decline
Are you sure 274 selected from the thousands that applied!
Brigade of Ghurkas website 1/2/25
Gurkhas p🙄
That does answer my question. I just noticed the lack of a question mark.
Highly unlikely 10s thousands fight for india and uk armed firves condidered a much better option essoecually now properly pensioned etc
I hope not, it would say a lot about how our Military and the UK are viewed, accommodation, skills, pay, retirement, chance to settle etc., where Nationals from a nation with a $50b GDP no longer see it as worth the effort to at least apply.
If we are filling the quotas easily then why add another pipeline at increased cost (different medicals, targeted advertising campaigns etc.) when we haven’t sorted out UK recruitment and the potentially thousands that could get in but walk away due to absolutely insane delays.
Really? I’ve always understood thousands apply and only and few hundred are accepted after the tests.
Brunei hosts a permanent British Army presence including a battalion of Gurkhas, where the unique terrain and tropical conditions provide an ideal environment for specialist jungle warfare training. The base has long been viewed as a strategic asset, enabling the British Army to maintain vital skills in a region of growing strategic interest.
Why is not the Chagos Islands also viewed as a strategic asset? You do not give away your strategic assets
The reason there is a base in Brunei is because the Sultan literally pays for it. The Chagos Islands could never sustain a Battalion stationed there.
Yes, we are there at the Sultans invite and expense.
I agree with John on Diego Garcia.
I think we should probably sell em to be honest.. fire sale of strategically vital island..once in a generation opportunity for any budding superpower.. 30 billion going once going twice..
If we got several billions, then spent on the conventional forces, then yes.
It just seems a bit rich that they describe our Brunei sites as strategically vital, but then are happy to pay billions to allow the US to use another in a vital location.
John, what would a Gurkha battalion do in Chagos ie Diego Garcia? Defend a largely US-operated base?
I don’t think John was saying that, mate, but comparing like for like.
Any ground forces are wasted there, as you say. I doubt the infrastructure even exists for an extra Battalion even if we wanted to.
It is USN USAF dominated.
Recruit males and females from Nepal for service in the Royal Navy. Base and train them out of facilities in Brunei, where appropriate, and associate them with British vessels permanently stationed in the Indo Pacific region.
Most men don’t pass Gurkha recruitment. I suspect the only way of recruiting females would be to lower standards, which I’m entirely against.
Like that will work. I thought we had stopped all this dei nonsense
Last time I checked we were dripping with male Nepalese recruits
Dave, it’s only Trump that has stopped DEI for his armed forces.
There are a small number of female Gurkha soldiers already in the British Army but they are the daughters of serving or retired Gurkhas. if born in UK, they are British citizens and serve in various Regiments /.Corps.
That’s not correct, to be a Gurkha you have to go through the selection in Nepal and join one of the Gurkha units. Children of Gurkha’s who are born in the UK and join via the normal enrollment process are not Gurkha’s, they’re British Citizens with Nepali ancestry. The armies definitions on that point are quite clear.
As long as they do not dilute the tests for female recruits, fair enough. I guess they will though as the RM have potentially the same problem. The Israelis tried putting the 2 genders in the infantry and it failed. So ideology over security. I’ve got a white hanky should I go to Moscow and surrender on our behalf ? Save a lot of lives !
Interesting.
My first thought is how male Gurkhas and wider Nepalese society would view their women applying?
Is that acceptable to their culture?
Physically wise, if the girls can run over the hills with weight like I see the Sherpas do, and I assume they also transport goods long distances, then it might work?
Agree on not dropping standards though.
Danielle, I agree. I hope the MoD has taken Nepali customs and culture into full account before making their proposal. If not, that would be disgraceful and would smack of imposing our culture on them and disrespecting their culture.
Daniele. Sorry for my previous typo. An edit function would be good!
Appreciated, Graham. I’m used to it!
Much like the wider British Army, when GCC roles where opened to Women, it probably won’t be that huge of a culture shock. Women already operate within RGR as AGC and RAMS attachments, and the wider BoG will have women from their sister capbadges working with them. On the recruitment side, being a Gurkha is such a prestigious and well paid position for most Nepali’s that I can’t see the idea that we accept women being a huge turn off.
I think it’s also worth noting that women have been making inroads into traditionally male dominated fields in Nepal in the last 40 years, IIRC the first female Sherpa to climb Everest did so in 1993, so while Nepal certainly is still more sexist than the UK, it might not be that big of a deal breaker.