Desuung Programme

The Desuung Programme (Dzongkha: དགེ་སྲུང་, "Guardians of Peace") is the Royal Volunteer Corps of Bhutan. It was established in 2011 at the command of His Majesty Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck as a uniformed civilian volunteer service drawing on what the King described as a request from young Bhutanese for a structured way to serve the country. Volunteers who complete the Desuung training are known as desuups and are recognised in public by their orange uniforms.^[1]

From an initial cadre of a few hundred volunteers, the corps has grown into one of the most visible non-military mobilisations in the country. Desuups have served in roles ranging from quarantine and contact-tracing during the COVID-19 pandemic to logistics for the Gelephu Mindfulness City project, the distribution of the Druk Gyalpo's Relief Kidu, and disaster response in landslide- and flood-affected districts.

Founding

The programme was launched on 14 February 2011, with the first intake undergoing residential training. The training site at Tencholing in Wangdue Phodrang was developed as the main camp, later supplemented by satellite training locations. Each cohort undergoes a one-month residential course covering first aid, civil defence, basic firefighting, search-and-rescue, ceremonial drill, civic education and Driglam Namzha, the code of public etiquette.^[1]

Recruits are drawn from across society. Civil servants, students, monks, military personnel, members of parliament and members of the royal family have all undergone Desuung training. The programme is voluntary and entry is open to Bhutanese aged 18 and above. Following training, desuups remain on call for activation and may be mobilised for events of national importance.

The Honour Code and uniform

Desuups serve under a published Honour Code that places service to the nation before personal safety and comfort. The orange uniform, intended to be visible at scenes of accident or disaster and to mark the wearer as a non-political volunteer, has become a recognisable element of Bhutanese public life. Graduates also receive a numbered identification card and are entered into a roster maintained by the Desuung Office.

Roles and operations

Desuups have been deployed for a wide range of activities. During the COVID-19 pandemic, between 2020 and 2022, large numbers of desuups operated quarantine facilities, staffed border posts and supported nationwide vaccination drives. The corps was central to the Druk Gyalpo's Relief Kidu, the royal welfare programme that distributed cash assistance to citizens whose livelihoods were affected by the pandemic. They have served as marshals at religious festivals and royal events, in flood relief operations in Punakha and the southern foothills, in firefighting after the 2012 Wangdue Phodrang Dzong fire, and in logistical support roles for the Gelephu Mindfulness City project.

By 2024 the Desuung Office reported that more than 30,000 Bhutanese had completed Desuung training. Among them was His Royal Highness the Gyalsey Jigme Namgyel Wangchuck, the Crown Prince, who underwent Desuung training in 2024 in a widely covered public event.^[2]

Desuung Skills Programme

In 2021, on the command of the King, the corps launched the Desuung Skills Programme (DSP), a vocational training initiative aimed at unemployed and under-employed desuups. The DSP offers courses in tailoring, masonry, carpentry, plumbing, electrical work, automobile servicing and information technology, with training partners including the Royal Institute of Management and various technical training institutes. The programme is one of the largest publicly funded skills initiatives in the country and has been positioned by the government as a response to youth unemployment, which has remained a persistent policy concern.

Position in Bhutanese society

The Desuung is institutionally separate from the Royal Bhutan Army and the Royal Bhutan Police, although it draws on military-style discipline and uniforms. It is administered through the Desuung Office, an institution under the patronage of the King rather than under a particular ministry, and its activities are reported regularly in Kuensel and BBS.

Coverage of the Desuung in Bhutanese media is consistently positive, in line with the deference shown to royal initiatives. Independent assessments of the corps are scarce. Foreign observers writing about Bhutan since 2020 have noted the unusually large role played by Desuung volunteers in pandemic response and have attributed part of the country's relatively low COVID-19 mortality to the speed of mobilisation that the corps made possible.

References

1. Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck — Wikipedia
2. Desuung coverage — Kuensel
3. Desuung coverage — Bhutan Broadcasting Service
4. Desuung Office — official website
5. Desuung Skills Programme — Kuensel coverage
6. Desuung coverage — The Bhutanese