Royal Brunei Land Force

Early years The Brunei Malay Regiment (BMR), also natively known as the (AMB) was formed in May 1961, when the first intake of 60 recruits began training. The formal foundation of the regiment occurred in June 1962 when men of the first three intakes were formed into the regimental headquarters and three rifle companies. The Brunei uprising during the night of 7–8 December 1962, posed a serious threat to the newly established regiment. The government hastened the creation of a more formidable defense force in response to the rebellion, which brought attention to the need for greater national security. The trained BMR members were kept within their camp throughout the uprising, preventing them from demonstrating their efficacy in spite of the necessity. In retaliation, Brunei was invaded by British soldiers, among them the Royal Gurkha Rifles. Personnel from the BMR successfully completed their training in the Federation of Malaya in 1963. In order to complete a battalion, Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak anticipated Brunei would contribute additional soldiers. In May, Brunei recruited more troops between the ages of 18 and 25, and in December, the country invited volunteers for short-service commissions. A six-week officer cadet training program was conducted at the Federation Military College in Sungai Besi for selected applicants from Segenting Camp. There were 410 members of the regiment at the end of 1963. However, the BMR was impacted when Malaya withdrew its soldiers from Brunei in August 1963 when Brunei refused to join the Federation of Malaya. While backup arrangements were in place, Brunei had some difficulties due to the sudden departure from Malayan training grounds. In 1966, the RBMR kept growing even after Malaysia temporarily stopped training Brunei's military. Rifle companies did, however, spend February and March training at Kota Belud. The Royal Colours were handed to the RBMR at the regiment's fifth-anniversary festivities; they remained in place until 31 May 1971, when they were altered. At this point, British officers started delegating some of their responsibilities to local officials, and Captain Mohammad was made Adjutant. Four TNKU members who had infiltrated from Sarawak were apprehended by soldiers from the regiment's number 6 and 9 platoons during small-scale operations in Bukit Belalong, Temburong District, in October. At an investiture ceremony held at Istana Darul Hana on 18 April, the following year, the Sultan paid tribute to a number of troops, notably Second Lieutenant Musa and Second Lieutenant Husin. On 9 July 2011, the RBLF conducted trials to replace their DPM BDUs with Digital Disruptive Pattern BDUs under a contract with Force-21 Equipment. ==Organisation==

during CARAT 2014. The Royal Brunei Land Force is organised as four separate battalions: • First Battalion • Second Battalion • Third Battalion • Support Battalion First Battalion The First Battalion was established in 1962; the organisation consisted of the first three intakes undertaking basic military training. At the beginning, the organisation was set up in Segenting Camp, Port Dickson, Malaysia. After the development of Berakas Garrison in 1975, the organisation was then changed to the First Battalion Land Force. Under the command of Colonel J. F. Davis, the force consisted of the various departments, including Markas Company, and five Rifle Companies (A, B, C, D and E). Second Battalion The Second Battalion was formed on 2 January 1975 at the Bolkiah Garrison. Before this, the Battalion was comprised Company B and E of the First Battalion under the command of the then Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel A.E. Hibbert. The battalion moved to Tutong Camp on 10 May 1976. Following the formation of the Second Battalion, Pengiran Ratna Indera Lieutenant Colonel Pengiran Dato Setia Ibnu bin Pengiran Datu Penghulu Pengiran Haji Apong was then appointed as the commanding officer in charge. Third Battalion The Third Battalion was formed and established on 31 May 1994. The battalion was made up of D Company from the First Battalion and F Company of the Second Battalion and the Command Company from the First and Second Battalion. Major Shahlan bin Hidup was the first appointed Commanding Officer in charge of the Battalion. Previously based in Penanjong Garrison, as of 21 June 2007, the Battalion has relocated to a new camp at Lumut in the Belait District. Support Battalion The Support Unit was originally established based on five major units; namely an Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron, a Combat Engineer Squadron, an Air Defence Battery, the Penanjong Workshop and Penanjong Garrison Headquarters. It was reorganised on 2 January 1990, and officially established as the Support Battalion, which comprises three major units; namely, an Armoured Reconnaissance Squadron, a Combat Engineer Squadron and the Company Headquarters Support Battalion. == Commander ==

on 21 July 2022 Commissioned Officers The rank insignia for commissioned officers for the Royal Brunei Land Force. Enlisted Unlike most Commonwealth armed forces, Brunei has maintained two warrant officer ranks, used in conjunction with the standard Commonwealth NCO and enlisted personnel and ratings ranks. The following are the rank insignia for enlisted personnel for the Royal Brunei Land Force. ==Equipment==

File:HICOM Handalan (RBLF).jpg|HICOM Handalan File:2023 National Day of Brunei 50.jpg|Bruneian soldier in combat dress File:MOUT Training (191010-M-QS181-1006).jpg|Bruneian and US Marine training during CARAT 2019. File:USINDOPACOM Commander Visits Brunei 03.webp|Bruneian honour guards File:Royal Brunei Land Force convoy 10 July 2022 02.jpg|Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB) VTT File:Exercise Eager Lion 2019 - Joint forces live-fire range (190828-Z-GG979-568).webp|Bruneian sniper with a SAKO M591 == Bases ==

at Tutong Camp during CARAT 2022. ==International ties==

in flight over Jerudong in 2022. United Kingdom The Royal Brunei Land Force has significant ties to the British Army, due in no small part to the fact that there is a permanent British garrison in Brunei. Following the Brunei Revolt in 1962, an agreement was signed between Brunei and the United Kingdom that a battalion of Gurkhas would be stationed in the country to protect various British interests, most notably the major oil installations at Seria. The current garrison consists of a battalion of the Royal Gurkha Rifles, plus a flight of helicopters from the Army Air Corps in support. However, Brunei is also used by the British Army in general for training in jungle warfare. The presence of one of the British Army's few significant overseas garrisons provides an opportunity to assist the RBLF in its training. Other nations The RBLF maintains close ties with many other nations, both in the South-East Asia region and elsewhere. The RBLF conducts exercises with the Malaysian Army and the Singapore Army on a regular basis. The RBLF has also conducted regular exercises with the armies of both Australia, China, New Zealand, Philippines and Thailand, while the United States Marine Corps conducts annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) in Brunei. ==Alliances==

• - Brigade of Gurkhas • - Singapore Armed Forces ==References==