1. nSpecial Report by Adlinna Abdul Alim
The sultanate of Brunei has a long and proud
history in the ASEAN region, most specifically
within the Malay archipelago. Being amongst the
few nations in the world that exercises absolute
monarchy, the main mission of the Royal Brunei
Armed Forces (RBAF), amongst others, is to
protect sovereignty of the sultanate.
Although relatively new compared to other
ASEAN counterparts, the RBAF has undergone
impressive transformation, attributed by its
commander-in-chief, and Brunei’s ruler, Sultan
Hassanal Bolkiah’s vision and forward planning
to place the force to the standard it is now. The
sultan is also Brunei’s defence minister. Recent
years saw the force took a bold step in assets
modernisation, ranging from big ticket items as
well as high-tech infrastructure. The small size of
the armed forces should not be underestimated,
as the RBAF is keeping up with modern times to
face various traditional and non-traditional threats
in today’s world.
Brief History
Established on May 31, 1961, the armed forces
were formerly known as the Brunei Malay Regi-
ment–by command of Sultan Haji ‘OmarAli Saifud-
dien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien. The very basis of its
establishment, as decreed by the then sultan “was
not to prepare for war but was a prerequisite for
any nation who wished to attain development as
is done by every other nation including the more
developed nations”. The first intake of 60 recruits
was selected to train at Port Dickson, Malaya.
The basic structure of the Regiment at that time
included the Headquarters and Companies A, B,
and C which was established on June 16, 1962.
This organisation comprised of all members from
the first, second and third intakes at the time, which
were located at Segenting Camp, Port Dickson,
Negeri Sembilan. By early 1964, the Regiment
contemplated to do its own training and moved
from Segenting Camp to Berakas Camp in Brunei.
Five years later, on May 31, 1965, the regiment
was honoured with the royal title, thus known
as the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment. Since its
independence from British rule on Jan 1, 1984,
the armed forces are known as what it is now–the
RBAF which encompasses the tri-services; the
Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), Royal Brunei
Navy (RBN), and Royal BruneiAir Force (RBAirF).
All the three services have a long history, remi-
niscent of the British colonial rule, which can still
traced until today.
Over the years, the RBAF have gone through
various restructuring, starting from the formation of
smaller units within the task force unit of the Royal
Brunei Malay Regiment, to its division into five
major units today–namely the RBLF, the RBN, the
RBAirF, Royal Brunei Services Force and Training
Centre Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
Force Modernisation Plans
In recent years, the spectrum of tasks of the
RBAF has expanded greatly. The increase of non-
traditional threats provides new roles for the armed
forces in addition to the fundamental mission in
defending the sovereignty and territorial integrity of
the sultanate. Thus, the government has adopted
a more comprehensive and integrated approach
to national defence and security. This of course
sees the collaborative efforts of the ministry of
defence and the RBAF, in coordination with other
ministries and strategic partners, in order for this
goal to materialise.
Dwelling on the numerical size of the armed
forces, the sultanate is making effective utilisation
of the reserve force. The ability of making full use
of the ground force elements in particular within
warning was reinforced in major exercises.
The transformation of the RBAF towards a more
mature force was made evident with the develop-
ment of defence white papers and its strategic
plans. In July 2004, Brunei’s defence white paper
was launched, and later revised in 2007 and 2011
respectively. The creation of the white papers
is necessary for the sultanate to keep abreast
with the developments and expanding role and
responsibilities of the RBAF against the backdrop
of an evolving and dynamic security landscape.
The white papers provide the RBAF with the clear-
cut roadmaps that underscore the importance of
continuous evolution in terms of human resource,
infrastructure and equipment capabilities.
Defence White Paper 2011
The sultanate’s most recent defence white paper
which was distributed in 2011, has placed high
priority on the ability of the RBAF to deliver impor-
tant operational effects, whether in support of the
national interest or to promote a stable security
environment in cooperation with other parties. The
paper impressed on the importance of developing
the armed forces’ combat capabilities, which is
necessary to deter, and if required, to respond to
aggression. Therefore, the white paper stressed
on the importance of acquiring and introducing
new weapon systems into the service, undertaking
extensive capability-specific training and doctrine
development, and developing associated combat
support infrastructure.
According to the white paper, the sultanate of
Brunei is looking at developing capability growth
areas for the RBAF, amongst others being air
interdiction capability including the introduction
of versatile fighter aircraft, more comprehensive
protection capabilities for the maritime force,
particularly for underwater warfare and mine-
counter measures, and further strengthening the
land force’s capacity for protected manoeuvre and
delivering layered fire-power.
For the future, the white paper laid out plans
to develop the capacity of the RBAF further in
two important areas. Amongst others, the armed
forces must be able to have strategic reach that
is the capability to be able to deploy and support
a range of force elements at distance, to further
enhance the sultanate’s ability to contribute more
frequently and constructively to shared strategic
tasks. The RBAF must also be able to operate
in more demanding operational environments,
including greater force protection and the ability
to deliver precise and graduated firepower. These
two objectives can only be reached with the in-
novative use of technology.
Royal Brunei Armed Forces:
Modernising A Small Potent Force
SHPMedia

2. Latest Assets and Infrastructure
In realising the RBAF’S modernisation plan,
Brunei has been procuring more state-of-the-art
defence assets into its service. In September
2014, the RBN has commissioned the latest
Darussalam-class patrol vessel, KDB Daruttaqwa.
The acquisition of the ship serves as a catalyst and
strong defence fortress, besides further enhanc-
ing the services and cooperation with maritime
enforcement agencies, as well as serving as the
platform for developing defence diplomacy. The
vessel, a patrol vessel 80 variant 2 (PV80-V2)
measures 80 metres in length,13 metres in width
and is armed with a 27mm naval light gun. The
ship is also equipped with a SCANTER surface
and air search radar for surveillance. Made by
Lurssen Werft, KDB Daruttaqwa has a helicopter
landing pad which is operational both day and
night, a feature similar to her sister ships in the
same class.Another feature of the ship is the stern
launch rigid inflatable craft (RIC) for fast intercep-
tion of targets and carrying of a boarding team for
investigation. The RIC can accommodate up to
10 people and can be used for boarding of other
vessels. It is said that the inflatable craft can be
launched in two minutes and operate at the speed
of up to 47 knots.
To improve its medical emergency responsive-
ness and efficiency, the RBLF has received eight
new IVECO military ambulances in late November
last year. This is done following the integration
of medical and health, dental fire and rescue
services into combat support services in Novem-
ber last year. Four of the vehicles are battlefield
ambulances while four more are domestic ambu-
lances. The ambulances were procured from local
transport suppliers. In a statement released by the
ministry of defence, the battlefield ambulances
will be an add-on to the current military defence
capability in support of military forces in operations
beyond urban terrain. The procurement of the
new domestic ambulances on the other hand, is
to replace the current ageing fleet. Previously in
September 2013, the RBAF received 34 vehicles
that include two battle field ambulance.
The RBAirF also has something to rejoice as
new assets join their fleet. The air force has pro-
cured 12 Sikorsky S-70i Black Hawk helicopters
in a contract signed between the Brunei ministry
of defence and SikorskyAircraft. The scope of the
contract includes the supply of spare parts, train-
ing and ground support equipment, plus an option
for 10 additional helicopters. The first batch of four
helicopters has been delivered to Brunei in late
November 2013. InAugust last year, the delivered
helicopters were declared fully operational, which
marked another milestone for the RBAF. The 12
Black Hawks are meant to replace the air force’s
fleets of Bell 212 and Bo105CBS helicopters after
40 years of service. In June last year, the RBAirF
announced that it will buy a number of Lockheed
Martin C-130J transporters, which will be used
for humanitarian aid and disaster relief missions.
However, updates on the purchase have yet to
be finalised.
Multi-Purpose Training Centre
In terms of infrastructure, the Brunei government
has carved a major breakthrough in the ASEAN
region with the creation of its own integrated train-
ing facility, as part of a joint venture with one of the
world’s leading training and simulation provider,
CAE. The centre was completed in 2014 and
training officially started there in September 2014.
The CAE Brunei Multi-Purpose Training Centre
(MPTC) is one of the region’s largest training
facility. CAE has designed and manufactured one
CAE 3000 Series helicopter mission simulators
representing the Sikorsky S-92 helicopter which
is currently operational at the facility. A second
helicopter mission simulator representing the
S-70i Black Hawk helicopter will be delivered
to the facility by late 2015. Other than that, the
facility also provides training for the Pilatus PC-7
trainer aircraft.
During the official launch of the Brunei MPTC
on Sept 8, 2014, CAE group president, defence
and security, Gene Colabatistto said, “The MPTC
will now provide high-quality job opportunities for
local Bruneians, and the facility will play a key role
as a world-class learning and training hub for a
range of industries, defence and security forces,
and the wider ASEAN region.”
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3. BruneiMINDEF
Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah salutes KDB Darulehsan during
an international fleet review.
Special Report: Royal BruneiArmed Forces
150706_LUER-0142_AZ_AsianDefenceJournal_400x84,5_EN_4c.indd Alle Seiten
Aside from helicopter training, the Brunei MPTC
is also set to be the regional hub for emergency
management services in the future with the setting
of an emergency and crisis management centre of
excellence which main objective is to provide com-
prehensive training for better plan and prepare for
emergencies. Using simulation-based training, the
CAE Brunei MPTC will offer emergency and crisis
management training programmes that will help
improve coordination, response and operational
decision-making during a range of emergency
scenarios. The MPTC has currently attracted
international nations to train in Brunei, having
commitments from S-92 operators in Australia,
China, and Canada.
In the latest development, CAE is currently
supporting the RBAirF in with pilot selection and
screening using the company’s newly-built PC-7
flight training device installed at the MPTC. With
the use of simulator, the RBAirF expects that a
better screening result will be produced, as well
as accelerate the pilot selection process, and
produce a higher rate of passing of potential cadet
pilots. The RBAirF will now use the PC-7 FTD with
all young officers who pass their officer’s course
and desire to become a pilot. By using the PC-7
FTD as part of the overall screening process, the
RBAirF expects to identify cadet pilots who should
continue with pilot training much quicker. The
PC-7 flight simulator arrived at the Brunei MPTC
in middle of last year.
Regional Cooperation
The RBAF actively participates in activities in-
volving defence and security in the region and
beyond. This is prevalent in the RBAF’s active
commitment in regional and international series
of exercises. The latest series of regional exer-
cises that saw the RBLF in action were Exercise
Maju Bersama and Exercise Rintis Bersama with
the Singapore Army in April this year.
In March this year, the RBN participated in a
Multi-Nations Maritime Security Exercise (MNSX)
in conjunction with the Langkawi International
Maritime & Aerospace Exhibition 2015 (LIMA’15)
in Malaysia. RBN’s deployed KDB Darulehsan to
take part in the series of drills. The ship show-
cased its ability to interoperate with different
navies through practical exercises. MNSX was
also participated by naval forces from India, Indo-
nesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Pakistan, Singapore,
Thailand, South Korea and the US.
And of course, the RBAF is a regular par-
ticipant of other multinational exercises, most
prominently being the annual exercises Cobra
Gold and Cooperation Afloat Readiness and
Training (CARAT) which involve the Asia-Pacific
defence forces and also the US. In June 2014,
marked a significant event for the RBAF as the
RBN participated in one of the world’s largest
and most significant naval exercises–Rim of
the Pacific (RIMPAC) for the first time. For the
series of naval drills, the RBN deployed two of
its off-shore patrol vessels, KDB Darussalam
and KDB Darulaman. The exercise served as
an opportunity to test the capabilities of the two
newest acquisitions in simulations of large-scale
maritime combat operations.
In June 2013, Brunei hosted a large humani-
tarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR)
exercise under the auspices of the ASEAN
Defence Ministers Meeting Plus (ADMM+). The
combined exercise saw the RBAF collaborate
with more than 2,000 military personnel from 10
ASEAN countries as well as the 8 Plus countries
which include Australia, China, India, Japan,
New Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the US.
The military-to-military cooperation exercise was
designed to formulate and develop a common set
of standing operating procedures (SOPs). The
exercise was a key deliverable for ADMM during
Brunei’s Chairmanship of ASEAN in 2013.
In ensuring its participation in military drills
meet the desired objectives, the RBAF con-
stantly attends regular meetings with regional

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06.07.15 15:06
Maj Gen Mohd Tawih Abdullah receiving briefings
during his visit to Singapore’s Changi Naval
Command and Control Centre Base.
MINDEFSingapore
and friendly defence forces. For example, in May
this year, the RBAF had a meeting with its Ma-
laysian counterpart–the Malaysian Armed Forces
(MAF). The meeting between representatives of
both armed forces served as a platform for both
parties to voice out their specific requirements in
terms of training. This annual meeting also acts
as a tool for the regular review of the progress of
the training cooperation and exercises between
both parties. In November last year, the RBAF
and US Pacific Command (USPACOM) success-
fully co-hosted the Chiefs of Defence Conference
(CHOD) for the first time, bringing together top
military officials from 26 countries. The theme
for the conference was “Multilateralism: Practical
Cooperation towards Shared Responsibilities”
that saw delegates discussed mutual security
challenges, ways to improve relations and foster
security cooperation.
International Peacekeeping and
Humanitarian Missions
In the wake of disasters that have hit the region
in recent times, the RBAF is not excluded in
extending its contribution to the affected nations.
In the aftermath of the earthquake that hit Nepal
in recent April, the RBAF deployed eight of its
personnel to Kathmandu as part of the humani-
tarian and disaster relief effort in an operation
called Operasi Kukri. The RBAF, together with the
Singapore Armed Forces ran a clinic in Gorkana
village to treat the affected victims. In the latest
development, the RBAF has vowed to continue
humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts
in the region. The RBAF commander, Maj Gen
Mohd Tawih Abdullah said that the armed forces
“will always help neighbours and friends” within
its means and capabilities.
The RBAF is also a long time participant
of the International Monitoring Team (IMT) in
Mindanao, with the deployment of its latest
contingent in September last year. Earlier in
August 2014, RBAF has sent 30 personnel to
the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), the
largest contingent of peacekeepers the sultanate
has deployed. The Brunei contingent joined troops
from Malaysia under the command of Malaysian
Battalion 850-2 (MALBATT 850-2) in the Sector
West Lebanon. Their main task, as mandated
by the UN was to monitor the withdrawal of Israel
from Lebanon, and support the country’s army
in military operations. The RBAF participation of
UNIFIL began with a nine month mission under
the invitation of the MAF in 2008 whereby Brunei,
as part of their international cooperation, joined
the MAF contingent (Malcon). Sultan Hassanal
Bolkiah, being the RBAF commander-in-chief
and the sultanate’s defence minister has always
lauded efforts to keep defence diplomacy alive.
The first RBAF UNIFIL deployment started
towards the end of October 2008. The team com-
prised five personnel embedded in Malcon.At that
time they were among 171 out of 225 Malcon West
members who left for Lebanon together with the
MAF to replace Qatar servicemen under UNIFIL.
RBAF–Paving the Road for the
Future
The RBAF recently celebrated its 54 th anniver-
sary in May this year. In his speech during the
celebration of the anniversary, Sultan Hassanal
Bolkiah stressed on the need for the RBAF to be
operationally ready to face unexpected threats
from within and beyond its national borders. For
this, he said that the sultanate’s defence man-
agement and force development capability of the
RBAF must be enhanced. True to the theme for
this year’s anniversary–“RBAF Generation with
a Vision”, the RBAF is certainly on the right path
of becoming one of the credible and respected
armed forces in the world.■