Royal Brunei Armed Forces

Brunei Malay Regiment The forerunner to the Royal Brunei Armed Forces was originally called the Brunei Malay Regiment (BMR), (AMB), Jawi: . Brunei Malay Regiment personnel continued their training in the Federation of Malaya during 1963 without issues. Malaya Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak hoped Brunei Darussalam would send more soldiers, enough to form a battalion. Recruitment for additional enlisted soldiers, aged 18 to 25, took place in May, and Brunei Darussalam also called for volunteers for short-service commissions in December. Selected candidates from Segenting Camp at Port Dickson underwent a six-week officer cadet training programme at the Federation Military College in Sungai Besi. By the end of 1963, the regiment's strength had reached 410 personnel. When Brunei Darussalam declined an invitation to join the Federation of Malaya in August 1963, Malaya withdrew its personnel from Brunei Darussalam, affecting the capability of the Brunei Malay Regiment. Additionally, the abrupt withdrawal from Malayan training sites also posed some issues for Brunei Darussalam, although backup plans were in place.). The British withdrawal was scheduled for 1979, marking a critical juncture with the signing of the 1979 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and the United Kingdom. In response, Brunei Darussalam accelerated the acquisition of advanced military weaponry, and increased military spending to strengthen the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment and prepare it for independence from British rule. Royal Brunei Armed Forces On , the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment officially adopted its now current name, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), (ABDB), Jawi: , coinciding with Brunei's independence from the United Kingdom. Brunei Darussalam reorganised its military administration and bureaucracy, placing oversight of the defence system under the Ministry of Defence Brunei Darussalam (MinDef). By 1984, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces comprised 3,900 enlisted ranks personnel, an increase of 400 from 1982. The RBAF unified its land, sea, and air forces into a single, cohesive management organisation. The RBAF's training and support services included the Women's Company, the Training Centre, Medical and Dental Services, the Logistics Depot, the Procurement Branch, Engineer Workshops, the Provost Unit, the Fire Service, and the RBAF band. In 1987, the establishment of the Royal Brunei Malay Reserve Regiment (RBMRU / ASMDB) significantly bolstered personnel numbers. In the late 1990s, defence spending in Brunei Darussalam declined from its previous peak levels, but stabilised at around 3% of gross domestic product (GDP). As of 1 October 1991, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces was structured into five major formations; three traditional combat military branches (army, navy, and air force), and two military support units, those being: the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), and the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), together with the RBAF Support Services (RBAF SS), and the Training Institute RBAF (TI RBAF). By the fiscal year ending in March 2002, Brunei Darussalam had spent B$1.5 billion (US$870 million) on British-made weapons, making it the second-largest buyer of such weapons outside the Middle East, and spending nearly five times more than Malaysia. In May 2001, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces introduced its mission statement, 'Vision in the 21st Century', coinciding with the 40th anniversary of its formation. Despite having only around 5,000 soldiers, Brunei Darussalam's defence spending remained disproportionately high at the beginning of the millennium. ==Organisation==

Service branches Overseen by Joint Force Headquarters, Royal Brunei Armed Forces (JFHQ RBAF; ), headquartered at Bolkiah Garrison, The Royal Brunei Land Force is the largest of the three armed service branches of Brunei Darussalam. Royal Brunei Navy in 2007.|alt= The Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), (TLDB), , is the naval defence force of Brunei Darussalam. It is a small, but relatively well-equipped maritime force, whose main responsibility is to conduct search and rescue (SAR) missions, and to deter and defend the Bruneian sovereign waters against attack mounted by sea-borne forces. Headquartered at Muara Naval Base, Two Bell 206 helicopters are used for rotary-wing training. On 14 July 2014, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces announced plans to order the Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules in the near future, though this never materialised. Subsequently, an order for four new Airbus C295MW was placed in December 2022 with European manufacturer Airbus Defence and Space; the first being accepted in December 2023, and the first two (TUDB 502 and TUDB 503) arriving at Rimba in January 2024. , the Royal Brunei Air Force operates twenty-two manned aircraft Bands The Royal Brunei Armed Forces Band (RBAF Band) was established on 31 May 1962, at Port Dickson in Malaysia. It originally had twenty-one members, and was then badged as the regimental band of the Brunei Malay Regiment. On 1 January 1984, Major Haji Manaf bin Kamis became the first local musician to be appointed Director of Music. Kamis was the judge at a competition which chose the official anthem of ASEAN. Since 2003, the band has been led by Major Jaya bin Metussin. Along with its official military engagements, it has participated in events such as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Brunei Darussalam International Tattoo, and the Berlin Military Music Festival. The RBAF Band first participated in the Hari Merdeka celebrations and the Kuala Lumpur International Tattoo in Malaysia in 2007, and has since become a regular participant. The 2nd and 3rd Battalion Royal Brunei Land Force Pipes and Drums are also part of the larger RBAF Band, and are modelled on those of the British Army Brigade of Gurkhas, which has a battalion stationed in rotation in Brunei Darussalam. Bands are also maintained in the Royal Brunei Navy and the Royal Brunei Air Force. Affiliated to the RBAF Band is the Band of the Armed Forces Military Cadet Corps. Training establishments The Royal Brunei Armed Forces and its three service branches is supported by two permanent training establishments. Each service branch also have their own specialist training schools. Training Institute The Training Institute Royal Brunei Armed Forces (TI RBAF), (IL ABDB), is also known as the Military Training Institution. It is headquartered at and based within Penanjong Garrison, at Pekan Tutong in the Tutong District, TA2741, Brunei Darussalam. Defence Academy The Royal Brunei Armed Forces Defence Academy (RBAF DA), (AP ABDB), is headquartered and located at Kampong Tanah Jambu, Mentiri, in the Brunei-Muara District, BU1129, Brunei Darussalam. It provides initial officer training (IOT) to all prospective persons seeking to be a commissioned officer in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (including its three service branches). The Defence Academy also offers staff officer courses, along with seminars and further learning to commissioned officers who have been promoted to senior officer ranks. ==Recruitment==

Only Bruneian citizens of the Malay ethnicity (Bumiputera) are allowed to enlist in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The Malay ethnicity comprises the Belait, Bisaya, Brunei, Dusun, Kedayan, Murut, and Tutong indigenous races, as defined in the 1959 Constitution of Brunei Darussalam. Military service is not compulsory for any segment of the population; there is no conscription, it is entirely voluntary. Both women and men work equally in the Bruneian military. Cadets There are two separate types of uniformed youth cadet in Brunei Darussalam which are linked or affiliated to the Royal Brunei Armed Forces; both with seemingly similar names. The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Military Cadet should not be confused with the RBAF Military Cadets of Higher Institutions (not officially members, from the University Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA), University Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Institute Technology Brunei (ITB), and Brunei Polytechnic (PB)) despite sharing the same name. The two are visually identified by the uniforms they wear; the higher institutions wear the older disruptive pattern material (DMP) woodland camouflage, while the official Military Cadets wear the newer multi-scale digital camouflage. Women's Company in the three branches of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces in 2024.|alt= The Women's Company (PAW) was founded on 29 June 1981, to commemorate the Royal Brunei Armed Forces' 20th anniversary. One civilian clerk and five female loan service employees from the British Army were initially involved. There were twenty-eight women in the inaugural intake; six of them were officer cadets, and the other twenty-two were enlisted recruits. The twenty-two recruits received training at the Women's Company Training Centre, Bolkiah Garrison, conducted by officers from the Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC) and multiple Royal Brunei Armed Forces male instructors, while the officer cadets were sent to the Woman's Royal Army Corps College in Camberley, Surrey, United Kingdom, for an eight-month course. Five of the six officer cadets in this ground-breaking class completed their military education, and were commissioned as second lieutenants. These officers served as Recruit Platoon Officers in the Women's Company Headquarters of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The female cadets received instruction in fundamentals such as physical endurance, small weapons training, yearly shooting drills, and parade drill. The course also covered courses on parachute jumping in Singapore, counselling and guidance at Universiti Brunei Darussalam, air technician and map reading instructor courses in the United Kingdom, dental technician courses in Australia and Malaysia, midwifery and medical orderly courses in Hong Kong and Singapore, signals and navigation courses, physical training instructor courses in the United Kingdom, driving, cooking, logistics, and storekeeping courses, as well as information technology courses. and Norsuriati Sharbini became the first woman to be appointed to colonel in 2021. ==Equipment and operations==

seen at Penanjong Garrison in 2024.|alt= The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) use a wide range of foreign-procured equipment across all three service branches; with a large percentage originating from the United Kingdom, Europe (France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain), and the United States of America. The Bruneian military in its post-independence form lacks any combat experience. However, it has been deployed regionally in humanitarian and peacekeeping missions; notably, since 2004; the Royal Brunei Armed Forces have formed part of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping mission in Mindanao, the Philippines. Brunei continues to maintain extensive military relations with the United Kingdom, with British Forces Brunei (British Army and Royal Air Force) permanently based in the sultanate since its independence by invitation. Furthermore, the Sultan of Brunei Darussalam, Hassanal Bolkiah, is an honorary air chief marshal of the Royal Air Force, and an honorary admiral of the Royal Navy, and also an honorary admiral of the Republic of Singapore Navy. On 6 May 2023, as part of the Commonwealth of Nations, ten members of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces took part in the 6,000-strong royal parade in London, England, to celebrate the formal Coronation of King Charles III. 31 May is the Armed Forces Day of Brunei Darussalam, which celebrates the founding of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. It is an annual national holiday, and the events on the day include military parade in front of the Sultan, and public exhibition of its equipment and armament. On , Royal Brunei Armed Forces celebrated its diamond jubilee. ==See also==