The fourth meeting of Nepal-US Bilateral Land Forces’ Talk concluded in Kathmandu on Wednesday. The three-day meeting dwelt on several military and defense related cooperation between Nepal and the United States of America.

Deputy Commander Major General Christopher Smith of the US Pacific Command led the US delegation while Major General Ashok Sigdel led the delegation from Nepal, according to the Nepal Army. This is the first meeting after Nepal refused to become a part of the US-initiated State Partnership Program in June last year.

At the meeting, disaster response, relief, preparedness, US assistance for Nepal Army personnel deployment, and various peacekeeping missions, among other things, were discussed, and the US will continue assisting in those areas as per an existing agreement, according to the Nepal Army.

They neither brought up the SPP issue nor put forward any new measures or framework of cooperation, one participant said.

Smith led a 22-member delegation at the meeting while Sigdel led a 14-member delegation comprising officials from ministries of foreign, finance and defense. After the conclusion of the talks, Major General Smith also called on Defense Secretary Kiran Raj Sharma and Chief of the Army Staff General Prabhu Ram Sharma. Nepal Army believes that such meetings will further deepen the cordial relations between Nepal and the US, the army said in a statement.

At the third meeting 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.

Separately, Nepal Army has submitted a list of its requirements to the US, as they have pledged to provide 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.

The US is going to provide two M28 block 05 Skytrucks to Nepal. The Aerospace manufacturer Polish PZL Mielec has won a $30.4 million contract to provide the light transport aircraft to the Army’s air wing.

The order is expected to be processed by April 30, 2025.

This contract involves two new, commercially produced M28 Block 05 aircraft, associated aircraft training, spares package, medical equipment, six months of field representative services, and ferry flight service for the M28 Block 05 aircraft from Mielec, Poland, to Kathmandu, according to reports.

The aircraft were ordered under a US Foreign Military Financing programme.

The M28 Skytruck is capable of high-altitude short take-off and landing, and is said to be ideal for Nepal’s high altitude short runways, as it requires less than 500m of runway length.

The aircraft were procured to replace the sole M28 previously operated by the Nepal Army’s air wing, which was donated by the Polish Air Force in 2004 and crashed in 2017.

In 2019, the US also bought an M28 Skytruck for Nepal under a $19-million agreement.

Starting from 2016, Nepal has been making efforts to acquire six M28 Skytrucks or C-145 airframes, with US support.

The Land Force Talks, the highest engagement between Nepal and the US Army, were constituted in June 2018.