Brunei, formally Brunei Darussalam, is a country in Southeast Asia, situated on the northern coast of the island of Borneo. Apart from its coastline on the South China Sea, it is completely surrounded by the Malaysian state of Sarawak, with its territory bifurcated by the Sarawak district of Limbang. Brunei is the only sovereign state entirely on Borneo; the remainder of the island is divided between its multi-landmass neighbours of Malaysia and Indonesia. As of 2020 the country had a population of 460,345, of whom approximately 100,000 resided in the capital and largest city Bandar Seri Begawan. The government of Brunei is an absolute monarchy ruled by the Sultan of Brunei, and it implements a fusion of English common law and jurisprudence inspired by Islam, including sharia.
The history of Brunei concerns the settlements and societies located on the north coast of the island of Borneo, which has been under the influence of Indianised kingdoms and empires for much of its history. Local scholars assume that the Islamisation of Brunei started in the fifteenth century, with the formation of the Bruneian Empire, a thalassocracy which covered the northern part of Borneo and the southern Philippines. At the end of the 17th century, Brunei subsequently entered a period of decline brought on by Brunei Civil War, piracy, and European colonial expansion. Later, there was a brief war with Spain, in which Brunei lost Manila and evacuated their capital for a brief period until the Spanish withdrew. The empire lost much of its territory with the arrival of the Western powers, such as the Spanish in the Philippines and the British in Labuan, Sarawak, and North Borneo. The decline of the Bruneian Empire accelerated in the nineteenth century when Brunei gave much of its territory to the White Rajahs of Sarawak, resulting in its current small landmass and separation into two parts. Sultan Hashim Jalilul Alam Aqamaddin later appealed to the British to stop further annexation in 1888. In the same year, the British signed a "Treaty of Protection" and made Brunei a British protectorate until 1984 when it gained independence and prospered due to the discovery of oil.
The Royal Brunei Navy, abbrev: RBN is the naval defence force of Brunei Darussalam. 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.
Bolkiah ibni Sulaiman, also known for his title as Nakhoda Ragam was the fifth Sultan of Brunei, reigning from 1485 until his death in 1524, he ascended the throne upon the abdication of his father, Sultan Sulaiman. His reign is known by Bruneians as "the Golden Age of Brunei".
The Sultanate of Brunei or simply Brunei was a Malay sultanate, centred in Brunei on the northern coast of Borneo island in Southeast Asia. Brunei became a sovereign state around the 15th century, when it grew substantially after the fall of Malacca to the Portuguese, extending throughout coastal areas of Borneo and the Philippines, before it declined in the 17th and 18th centuries. The first ruler or sultan of Brunei was a Muslim. It became a British protectorate in the 19th century.
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF); Malay: 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 Forces (RBLF), the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), and the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF).
The history of Sabah can be traced back to about 23–30,000 years ago when evidence suggests the earliest human settlement in the region existed. The history is interwoven with the history of Brunei and the history of Malaysia, which Sabah was previously part of and is currently part of respectively. The earliest recorded history of Sabah being part of any organised civilisation began in the early 15th century during the thriving era of the Sultanate of Brunei. Prior to this, early inhabitants of the land lived in predominantly tribal societies, although such tribal societies had continued to exist until the 1900s. The eastern part of Sabah was ceded to the Sultan of Sulu by the Sultan of Brunei in 1658 for the former helping a victory over Brunei enemies, but many sources stated it had not been ceded at all. By the late 19th century, both territories previously owned by Sultan of Brunei and Sultan of Sulu was granted to British syndicate and later emerged as British North Borneo under the management of the North Borneo Chartered Company. Sabah became a protectorate of the United Kingdom in 1888 and subsequently became a Crown colony from 1946 until 1963, during which time it was known as Crown Colony of North Borneo. On 16 September 1963, Sabah merged with Malaya, Sarawak and Singapore to form Malaysia.
The Bruneian Civil War was a civil war fought in the Bruneian Sultanate from 1660 to 1673. During Sultan Muhammad Ali's reign, a dispute led to the killing of Pengiran Muda Alam by Pengiran Muda Bongsu. In retaliation, Abdul Hakkul Mubin killed Muhammad Ali and declared himself the fourteenth sultan. A civil war ensued, with Abdul Hakkul Mubin fleeing to Kinarut. Sultan Muhyiddin sought help from the Sultan of Sulu, promising eastern Sabah as a reward. The dispute over eastern Sabah remains a legacy of this civil war.
The Lahad Datu District is an administrative district in the Malaysian state of Sabah, part of the Tawau Division which includes the districts of Kunak, Lahad Datu, Semporna and Tawau. The capital of the district is in Lahad Datu Town.
Halbi bin Mohammad Yussof ; born 22 June 1956, 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 Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF).
The Ministry of Defence Brunei Darussalam, officially abbreviated as MinDef, is a cabinet-level ministry of the Government of Brunei. It is responsible for the country's national security and military forces, the latter collectively known as the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF); Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei, (ABDB). It is Brunei's ministry of defence; and was established on 1 January 1984, when Brunei Darussalam achieved independence from the United Kingdom. The Ministry of Defence leadership presently consists of a minister ; its incumbent is the Sultan of Brunei, Hassanal Bolkiah, who is also the Supreme Commander of the RBAF / ABDB. A deputy minister is second-in-command at the MinDef.
KDB Mustaed (21) is the only ship of its kind in the Royal Brunei Navy. The vessel, a fast interceptor boat, is in active service in the Royal Brunei Navy.
The Serasa class is a ship class of two light landing craft for Brunei Darussalam. Both were laid down by Transfield Shipbuilding for the Royal Brunei Navy in the August 1996. The lead ship is KDB Serasa (33); KDB being the official acronym for Kapal Diraja Brunei in Malay, meaning Royal Brunei Ship. Currently both ships are in active service in support of Royal Brunei Land Forces. Both ships were commissioned together on 7 May 1997 at Muara Naval Base, Brunei Darussalam. They are sometimes used to transport supplies, vehicles and personal to specific locations where they are needed.
Muara Naval Base is a naval base which serves as the headquarters and main operating base for the Royal Brunei Navy. It is located approximately 4 kilometres from Muara Town, Brunei-Muara District, in the sultanate of Brunei Darussalam. The naval base sits near the mouth of the Brunei River, which flows into the Brunei Bay.
Aminuddin Ihsan bin Abidin is a retired Bruneian commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces who serves from 2009 until 2014 and also the Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports from 2018 until 2022.
Khairul Hamed is the 10th Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF) from 2018 to 2020.
Raja Sakam or commonly referred to by his title Bendahara Sakam, was the son of the Sultan Abdul Kahar by his Sabah wife, Raja Bajau. He is a peculiar folk hero in certain respects. His name was consistently spelled Bendahara Saqkam in the manuscript, Silsilah raja-raja Brunei.
The Military of the Bruneian Sultanate was the land force of the Bruneian Sultanate from 1368 to 1888.
Kefli bin Razali is a Bruneian military officer and nobleman who served as the 2nd commander of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) from 1983 to 1986 and from 1993 to 1995.
Brunei 
