The forerunner to the Royal Brunei Armed Forces were formed on 31 May 1961; 62 years ago (1961-05-31),[1] with Britishmilitary support; 31 May is annually marked as Armed Forces Day.[4]
Name
Upon inception, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces were originally known as the Brunei Malay Regiment (Askar Melayu Brunei, AMB). On 31 May 1965; 58 years ago (1965-05-31), the word 'Diraja' (Malay for 'Royal') was added to the title, hence it became known as the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Askar Melayu Diraja Brunei, AMDB). It finally adopted its current name on 1 January 1984; 40 years ago (1984-01-01), that is on the day Brunei was granted independence from the United Kingdom.[1]
Organisation
Branches
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces consists of three primary military branches.
The Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF) (Malay: Tentera Darat Diraja Brunei – TDDB), is a brigade sized army formation; it consists of three operational battalions, along with an additional support battalion. The role of the Royal Brunei Land Forces is to maintain the security of Brunei, and to defend the sovereignty of the country. Its main responsibility is to oppose any threat from within or outside the country, and to maintain peace and security in the country.[5] The Royal Brunei Land Forces is the largest of the three armed services of Brunei.
The Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) (Malay: Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei – TLDB), is the naval defence force of Brunei Darrussalam. It is a small, but relatively well-equipped force, whose main responsibility is to conduct search and rescue (SAR) missions, and to deter and defend the Brunei sovereign waters against attack mounted by sea-borne forces.[6] Headquartered at Muara Naval Base, as of 2023[update], the Royal Brunei Navy has an operational inventory of twenty ships or similar surface vessels, the RBN does not operate any submarines or submersibles.
The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) (Malay: Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei – TUDB), is a small, primarily helicopter-based air force, which is tasked with supporting the other branches of the armed services, defending Bruneian air space, and carrying out search and rescue (SAR) operations. It was originally created in 1965; 59 years ago (1965), as the Air Wing of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (Malay: Askar Melayu Diraja Brunei – AMDB, the forerunner of today's Royal Brunei Armed Forces, RBAF), and was established as an independent air force; the Royal Brunei Air Force on 1 October 1991; 32 years ago (1991-10-01). The RBAirF main inventory consists of a range of rotary-wing helicopters; formerly ten Bell 212, four Sikorsky S-70A-14 (now transferred to the Royal Malaysian Air Force), and a solitary Bell 214ST. The Bell 212s were replaced between 2013 and 2015 by twelve Poland-manufactured Sikorsky S-70i Blackhawks[7][8] Two Bell 206 helicopters are used for rotary-wing training.[8]
The former Support Services of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) had the responsibility of providing support services to units within the RBAF, in all aspects pertaining to their administration, security, health, logistics, communication, transportation, and technical equipment service support. The Support Services of the RBAF also worked closely with other units of all service branches in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces to undergo and help co-ordinate military training and operations. As part of the reorganisation of the RBAF, the Support Services was disbanded in early 2009, and its various units were relocated.[11]
Bands
The RBAF Band was established on 31 May 1962; 61 years ago (1962-05-31), at Port Dickson in Malaysia. It originally had twenty-one members, and was then badged as the regimental band of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment. On 1 January 1984; 40 years ago (1984-01-01), 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 Awg Jaya bin Metussin. It has participated in events such as the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, the Brunei Darussalam International Tattoo, and the Berlin Military Music Festival.[12] 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.[13]
The 2nd and 3rd Battalion Royal Brunei Land Forces Pipes and Drums are also part of the larger RBAF Band, and are more modelled on those of the British Army Brigade of Gurkhas, which station a battalion in rotation in Brunei. 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 Institute
Training Institute of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces badge
The Training Institute of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces is also known as the Military Training Institution. It provides basic military training to all new recruits to the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. Other military courses are also offered and conducted in the institution to personnel of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.[14]
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Military Cadet should not be confused with the RBAF Military Cadets of Higher Institutions (not officially members) despite sharing the same name. The two are visually identified by the uniforms they wear; the old disruptive pattern material (DMP) woodland camouflage for the higher institutions, while the official Militarycadets wear multi-scale digital camouflage.[17]
Equipment and operations
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, France/Europe, and the United States of America.
On 6 May 2023, ten members of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces took part in the 6,000-strong royal parade in London, England, to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III.[20]
31 May is the Armed Forces Day of Brunei, 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 31 May 2011; 12 years ago (2011-05-31), Royal Brunei Armed Forces celebrated its golden jubilee.
Hussainmiya, Bachamiya Abdul; Mahdini, Waleed (2013). Sarimah Haji Umar (ed.). Pencapaian aan aspirasi : ABDB 1961–2011 dan seterusnya [Journey of accomplishments and aspirations : RBAF 1961-2011 and beyond] (in Malay). Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam: Brunei Press / Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei. OCLC973874229.
Royal Brunei Land Forces
Royal Brunei Navy
Royal Brunei Air Force
$597.67 million BND (2022)[3]
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