The Trump-Kim summit is happening right now (Tuesday, Jun. 12) in Singapore, and for this short trip, both leaders brought (much) more than just their own personal security contingents.

Here's Kim's famous running bodyguards, as well as a look at 10 of the vehicles in his motorcade:

And here's a glimpse of Trump's Beast and the host of other American cars also flown in for the trip:

But what about us, as hosts? Of course, not to be outdone, we have put forward our best to make sure all goes smoothly.

And when you think of the best in Singapore, you would look no further than the Gurkhas.

According to diplomats familiar with VIP (very important person) security, the Gurkha Contingent (GC) is assisting with securing the summit venue, roads, and hotels.

While they're already pretty darn effective with their kukri knives, but they will also be equipped with guns and bullet-proof vests for the summit.

So who are the Gurkhas?

The Gurkhas are elite soldiers recruited from Nepal, and apart from here, they also serve in the British and Indian armies.

They are known for their extraordinary physical and mental robustness, resourcefulness and dependability.

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As such, the selection criteria is unsurprisingly stringent — candidates not only have to pass the regional selections and interviews, but also the famed doko race which is known to be notoriously challenging.

You can read more about that here:

Historically, the Gurkhas have proven themselves to be a dependable fighting force.

They have fought in the two World Wars, the Malayan Emergency, Indonesia’s Konfrontasi, the Falklands War and the Gulf War.

They have also taken part in peacekeeping missions in several places around the world.

And how'd they end up here?

The GC is a line department of the Singapore Police Force, and their origin predates Singapore's independence — it goes back to their discovery by, and defeat of, the British.

Having been beaten back by the Gurkhas in the 19th century Anglo-Nepalese war, the British admired them for their valour and fighting skills and so recruited them into the British Army as paid soldiers.

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That's how the British in 1949 established the GC in Singapore to help quell civil disturbance and carry out specialist security tasks.

Neutral force in S'pore

For multi-ethnic Singapore in particular, the Gurkhas have played an important role.

As a neutral presence here, they were an impartial and instrumental force in defusing riots in Singapore during the 1950s and 1960s. This included the Maria Hertogh and Hock Lee Bus riots.

As described by Lee Kuan Yew in his memoirs From Third World To First,

"When I returned to Oxley Road, Gurkha policemen were posted as sentries. To have either Chinese policemen shooting Malays or Malay policemen shooting Chinese would have caused widespread repercussions. The Gurkhas, on the other hand, were neutral, besides having a reputation for total discipline and loyalty."

Their role, however, eventually expanded to include protection of VIPs.

Post-independence role

Even in the post-independence era, the Gurkhas continue to be very, very relevant in Singapore.

True to their original role of restoring law and order on the streets, they remain a neutral force in quelling violence today.

For instance, in 2013, they were mobilised as part of the police response during the Dec. 8 Little India riot.

Currently, they are also actively deployed to guard important events, such as the National Day Parade and New Year's Day countdown.

With the ongoing, and arguably heightened, threat posed by terrorism, their training has also necessarily evolved to deal with public security incidents such as gunman attacks.

Top photo from Our Gurkhas Facebook page, from Kishore Kumar Gurung / SGPM Photo Collection