Army conducts special training on Bailey bridges for civil engineers from Bhutan

In a rare instance of training foreign civilians, the Indian Army conducted a specially tailored training programme on constructing and maintaining Bailey bridges to meet the requirements of civil engineers from the Royal Government of Bhutan.

The course, conducted over a period of three weeks at the College of Military Engineering, Pune, empowered the civil engineers on concepts of Bailey bridge, with special focus on its employability in the rugged terrain of Bhutan.

A Bailey bridge is a portable, prefabricated bridge made of steel panels that can be quickly assembled by hand or with light machinery to create temporary or permanent crossings for vehicles and people.

Known for its simple design, rapid deployment and strength, it was originally developed by the British during the Second World War for military operations but is now commonly used in civilian projects and disaster relief missions, especially in the mountains.

The programme also provided an opportunity to the Bhutanese team an exposure to the Indian industries involved in manufacturing defence equipment.

“The course reinforces the commitment of the Indian Army in enhancing capacity building and knowledge sharing amongst its neighbouring countries,” the Army said on its official X handle.

While civilians from Bhutan training in Indian military establishments is not a common practice, both countries have a deep cooperation, with the Indian Army engaged in extensive training support to the Royal Bhutan Army through the Indian military training team in Bhutan as well as in various Indian service academies, besides providing defence equipment.

In addition, Border Roads Organisation’s Project Dantak handles major road, bridge, airport and infrastructure projects in Bhutan, which also employs a large number of Bhutanese workers and contractors.