The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) is the military of the sultanate nation of Brunei Darussalam. In addition to the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Brunei also hosts bases for the British Army and the Singapore Armed Forces.
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) is the military of the sultanate nation of Brunei Darussalam. In addition to the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, Brunei also hosts bases for the British Army and the Singapore Armed Forces.
The military of the sultanate nation of Brunei is known as the Royal Brunei Armed Forces, or Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei in Malay, often abbreviated ABDB. It comprises the Land Forces, the Air Force, the Navy, Support Services, and the Training Institute.
A Gurkha Battalion of the British Forces Brunei (BFB) from the British Army has been maintained in Brunei at the request of the Sultan of Brunei subsequent to the 1962 Brunei revolt. [1] The battalion is centered on the outskirts of Seria in the west of the nation. Headquarters BFB and the Resident Infantry Battalion (RIB), which is presently the 2nd Battalion, Royal Gurkha Rifles, are located at Tuker Lines. The RIB rotates every three years with its sister Battalion in Shorncliffe, United Kingdom to maintain operational currency. It is the only completely acclimated jungle specialty Battalion in the British Army. The jungle provides a special setting for honing dismounted infantry training and skills, ranging from individual marksmanship, navigation, and survival training to the creation of doctrine for jungle combat at the Battle Group level. [2]
Nearby, the British Army's Jungle Warfare Division (JWD) and the No. 230 Squadron RAF both call Medicina Lines home. During their exercises in Brunei, JWD, the RIB, and other units get aerial assistance from 230 Flight. [3] Given the complexity of the jungle and the difficulty of getting about without a vehicle, this feature, along with Brunei Boat Section, is essential. JWD offers training to certify troops from throughout the British Army and alliance partners as Operational Tracking Instructors and Jungle Warfare Instructors. [2]
The Sultan has appointed the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU), an elite group of Nepalese troops, to guard the royal household, the populace, and important oil infrastructure. [4] The majority of the 500 Gurkhas who work for the Brunei Reserve Unit are ex-members of the Singapore Police Force and British Army who joined the GRU as a second career. [5]
A tight and long-standing defense alliance exists between Singapore and Brunei. Both military cooperate through periodic bilateral exercises, business exchanges, visits, and cross-attendance of courses, in addition to the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)'s ongoing training exercises in Brunei that have been going on for more than 40 years. [6] Singapore also maintains a training establishment in Brunei, known as the Jalan Aman Camp [7] and operates support helicopters mainly to transport the soldiers to Lakiun Camp in Temburong District for jungle training. [8] The other Singapore military establishment in Brunei is the Lakiun Camp in Temburong. [7] This provides jungle training for the SAF in the interior of Temburong.
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said on 6 October 2017, during a visit to see jungle and survival training at Temburong, that SAF personnel take care to maintain the environment in excellent shape for future trainees even as they engage in realistic training there. For instance, Mr. Lee pointed us that the soldiers utilized pouches to store the blank round cartridges they used to fire from their machine guns and rifles. This was done to prevent them from leaving behind empty shells in the forest, which has served as a vital training ground for the SAF for more than 40 years. [6]
A British Loan Service Medical Officer founded the RBAF' Medical Service in 1964. To meet the needs of the Royal Malay Regiment, the Medical Service was founded. The first Medical Reception Station, or MRS for short, was built in the Berakas Garrison at F13, Jalan Abu Bakar. The British Loan Service was discontinued in 2011 when additional regional medical officers joined the medical service. To allow local medical officers to advance professionally, Pakistani Army medical officers have been seconded since 2014. There are now 20 officers working with the Medical Service, including 10 local medical officers (four of them are female), four Pakistani Army medical officers who have been seconded, one administrative officer, and one training officer. There are 105 civilian employees and 142 military employees (98 men and 44 women). [9]
Brigade of Gurkhas is the collective name which refers to all the units in the British Army that are composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers. The brigade draws its heritage from Gurkha units that originally served in the British Indian Army prior to Indian independence, and prior to that served for the East India Company. The brigade includes infantry, engineering, signal, logistic and training and support units. They are known for their khukuri, a distinctive heavy knife with a curved blade, and have a reputation for being fierce and brave soldiers.
The Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR) is a rifle regiment of the British Army, forming part of the Brigade of Gurkhas. Unlike other regiments in the British Army, RGR soldiers are recruited from Nepal, which is neither a dependent territory of the United Kingdom nor a member of the Commonwealth.
The Brunei revolt or the Brunei rebellion of 1962 was a December 1962 insurrection in the British protectorate of Brunei by opponents of its monarchy and its proposed inclusion in the Federation of Malaysia who wanted to establish a republic. The insurgents were members of the TNKU, a militia supplied by Indonesia and linked to the left-wing Brunei People's Party (BPP), which favoured a North Borneo Federation. The TNKU began co-ordinated attacks on the oil town of Seria, on police stations, and on government facilities around the protectorate. The revolt began to break down within hours, having failed to achieve key objectives such as the capture of Brunei Town and Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The revolt influenced the Sultan's 1963 decision not to join Malaysia. It is seen as one of the first stages of the Indonesia–Malaysia confrontation.
The Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), natively known as Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei (TLDB) is the naval defence force of Brunei. It is a small but relatively well-equipped military force whose main responsibility is to conduct search and rescue missions, and to deter and defend the Brunei waters against attack mounted by seaborne forces.
The Gurkha Contingent (GC) is a line department of the Singapore Police Force (SPF) consisting primarily of Gurkhas from Nepal, recruited by the British Army with the purview of the Government of Singapore. The contingent's roles are as a special guard force and counter-terrorist force.
The Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), natively known as Tentera Darat Diraja Brunei (TDDB) is the land component of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) or Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB). The RBLF has responsibility for maintaining the territorial defence of Brunei Darussalam, both from attack from outsiders, and by assisting the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) in maintaining law and order. The annual anniversary ceremony of RBLF's inception was place on 4 November every year.
British Forces Brunei (BFB) is the name given to the British Armed Forces presence in Brunei Darussalam. Since the handover ceremony of Hong Kong in 1997, the garrison in Brunei is one of the remaining British military bases in the Far East, along with Singapore.
The Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU), natively known as Pasukan Simpanan Gurkha (PSG), also referred to as the Royal Brunei Gurkha Reserve Unit, is a Nepalese special elite guard force and royal guard in Brunei.
The British Army Jungle Warfare Training School (JWTS) of the Jungle Warfare Division (JWD) is an overseas military training establishment of the British Army, tasked with providing operational training in hot, tropical, and jungle warfare environments. It is part of British Forces Brunei (BFB), and the JWTS is headquartered at Medicina Lines, near the Bruneian town Seria within Mukim Seria, Belait District, in the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam; whilst its actual training facility is located at Sittang Camp in the Tutong District.
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), also natively known as Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB), is the collective term for all of the military forces or service branches of the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The RBAF consists of three primary military branches; the Royal Brunei Land Force, the Royal Brunei Navy, and the Royal Brunei Air Force.
Brunei and Singapore established diplomatic relations in 1984. Brunei has a high commission in Singapore, and Singapore has a high commission in Bandar Seri Begawan. Brunei and Singapore have close and friendly relations with extensive defence co-operation. Both countries are members of ASEAN and Commonwealth of Nations.
Sulaiman bin Damit was a Bruneian nobleman, diplomat and military officer who served as the commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) from 1990 until 1994. He and Ariffin Abdul Wahab were the first local servicemen to be promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in 1976.
Halbi bin Mohammad Yussof is a Bruneian nobleman, military officer, and politician, who currently serves as a Minister at the Prime Minister's Office and Minister of Defence II. He is a former member of the Legislative Council of Brunei, and previously served as the Minister of Defence II from 2018 to 2022, Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports from 2015 to 2018, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), and Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF).
Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Haji Abidin is a retired Bruneian commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) who serves from 2009 until 2014 and also the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) from 2018 until 2022.
Khairul Hamed bin Lampoh is a Bruneian military officer who was the 10th Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF) from 2018 to 2020.
Bolkiah Garrison, also referred to as Bolkiah Camp from its original name, is one of the military bases in Mukim Berakas 'A', Bandar Seri Begawan. It contains the main building for the Ministry of Defence (MinDef), and is also the headquarters of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF). International defence collaborations, meetings and bilateral exercises are planned and considered within this military base.
Mohammad bin Daud is a nobleman and politician who was the 1st Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) from 1985 until 1990, the 3rd Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) from 2005 until 2008, and the Minister of Energy from 2008 until 2010.
The Training Institute Royal Brunei Armed Forces, natively known as Institut Latihan Angkatan Tentera Diraja Brunei is a military training establishment of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), primarily for enlisted male and female recruit training, along with technical and junior leadership courses for non-commissioned officers (NCOs). It is currently located within Penanjong Garrison, Tutong TA2741, approximately 50 kilometres from Bandar Seri Begawan in the sultanate of Brunei. Approximately one-hundred courses are available per year. The annual anniversary ceremony of TI RBLF's inception was place on 7 April every year.
Mohammad Ismaon bin Zainie is a retired Bruneian military officer who served as the Chief of Staff of the Joint Force Headquarters of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the deputy commander of the Training Institute Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Additionally, he was among the contingent attached to the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in Mindanao.
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