Royal Brunei Armed Forces

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Royal Brunei Armed Forces
Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei
Armed Forces of Brunei Emblem.png
Emblem
War Flag of Brunei.svg
Flag
Founded31 May 1961
Current form1 January 1984
Service branches Royal Brunei Land Forces
 Royal Brunei Navy
 Royal Brunei Air Force
Headquarters, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Leadership
His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah
Prime Minister &
Minister of Defence		His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah
Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohammad Yussof
Commander of Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF)Major General (U) Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat
Manpower
Military age18 and over
Available for
military service		108,356 males, age 16-49,
110,153 females, age 16-49
Fit for
military service		92,543 males, age 16-49,
95,301 females, age 16-49
Reaching military
age annually		3,460 males,
3,399 females
Active personnel10,000
Expenditures
Budget$436.76 Million
Percent of GDP4.5% (2006)
Industry
Foreign suppliers Australia
 Belgium
 Canada
 China
 France
 Germany
 Indonesia
 Italy
 Malaysia
 Netherlands
 North Korea
 Singapore
 Sweden
 United Kingdom
 United States
Related articles
RanksMilitary ranks of the Brunei

The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF; Malay: Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei, ABDB) are the military forces of Brunei. They consist of the Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy and Royal Brunei Air Force. The head of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces is the supreme commander and is held by the Sultan of Brunei, and the incumbent is Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. They are managed under the Ministry of Defence. The Royal Brunei Armed Forces were formed on 31 May 1961.

Name[]

Upon inception, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces were originally known as the Brunei Malay Regiment (Askar Melayu Brunei). On 31 May 1965, 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). It finally adopted its current name on 1 January 1984, that is on the day Brunei proclaimed independence from the United Kingdom.[1]

Organisation[]

Branches[]

Royal Brunei Land Forces[]

Main article: Royal Brunei Land Forces

The Royal Brunei Land Forces (Tentera Darat Diraja Brunei) is a brigade sized formation that consists of three battalions and a 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.[2] The Royal Brunei Land Forces is the largest of the armed services.

Royal Brunei Air Force[]

Ministry of Defence of Brunei
Main article: Royal Brunei Air Force

The Royal Brunei Air Force (Tentera Udara Diraja Brunei) is a small, mainly helicopter-based force which is tasked with supporting the other branches of the armed services and defending Bruneian air space. It was established in 1965 and consists of a range of helicopters, including: 10 Bell 212 and 4 Sikorsky S-70. The Bell 212s are to be replaced between 2013–15 by 12 Sikorsky S-70i.[3]

The Royal Brunei Air Force fixed-wing inventory is limited to around 4 Pilatus PC-7 training aircraft and Airbus CN-235 transport aircraft.[4] On 14 July 2014, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces announced plans to order the C-130J in the near future.[5] On 7 October 2014, Brunei purchased a single C-130J with spare parts and logistic support for 343 million dollars.

Royal Brunei Navy[]

Main article: Royal Brunei Navy

The Royal Brunei Navy (Tentera Laut Diraja Brunei) 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 missions and to deter and defend the Brunei waters against attack mounted by sea borne forces.[6]

Support Services[]

The Support Services of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces had the responsibility of providing support services to units in the RBAF in all aspects pertaining to their administration, security, health, logistics, communication, transportation and technical equipment service support to all units in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The Support Services or the Royal Brunei Armed Forces also worked closely with other units 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.[7]

Bands[]

The RBAF Band was established on 31 May 1962 at Port Dickson in Malaysia. It originally had 21 members and was then badged as the regimental band of the Royal 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, it 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.[8] 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.[9]

The 2nd and 3rd Battalion Royal Brunei Land Forces Pipes and Drums are also part of the larger RBAF Band and are more modeled on those of the British Army Brigade of Gurkhas, which station a battalion in rotation in Brunei. Bands are also maintained in the Navy and the Air Force.

Affiliated to the RBAF Band is the Band of the Armed Forces Military Cadet Corps.

Training Institute[]

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.[10]

Recruitment[]

Only Brunei citizens of the Malay ethnicity (Bumiputera) are allowed to enlist in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.[11] The Malay ethnicity comprises the Belait, Bisaya, Brunei, Dusun, Kedayan, Murut, and Tutong indigenous races as defined in the Brunei constitution.[12] Military service is not compulsory for any segment of the population; there is no conscription. Both women and men work in the military.

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. They could be identified by the uniforms they are wearing (the old woodland camouflage for the higher institutions while the official Military cadets wore digital camouflage).[13]

Miscellaneous[]

The Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) use a wide range of foreign equipment, with a large percentage originating from the United Kingdom, France/Europe and the United States. The Bruneian military lacks any recent combat experience but has been deployed regionally in humanitarian and peacekeeping missions. Brunei also has extensive military relations with Singapore.

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 the armament. On 31 May 2011, Royal Brunei Armed Forces celebrated its golden jubilee.

See also[]

Notes[]

  1. ^ "MINDEF - RBAF Introduction". www.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 10 July 2019.
  2. ^ Royal Brunei Land Forces - Retrieved 20 April 2007 Archived 2 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/Black-Hawks-for-Brunei-07207/%7C+LPD+22+%7C+PAC-3+%7C+C-5+Galaxy+%7C+US+Navy+Destroyers&date_sent=2011-11-23+12%3A42%3A12[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Royal Brunei Air Force - Retrieved 20 April 2007 Archived 2 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 14 July 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ^ Royal Brunei Navy - Retrieved 20 April 2007 Archived 2 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ^ Royal Brunei Armed Forces Support Services - Retrieved 20 April 2007 Archived 28 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  8. ^ https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/6366602/royal-brunei-armed-forces-band-ministry-of-defence
  9. ^ http://www.mindef.gov.bn/Lists/News/DispForm.aspx?ID=3188
  10. ^ Royal Brunei Armed Forces Training Institute - Retrieved 20 April 2007 Archived 19 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ Military Record, Brunei - Retrieved 20 April 2007 Archived 18 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  12. ^ Brunei: The Abode of Peace - Retrieved 20 April 2007 Archived 13 September 2006 at the Wayback Machine
  13. ^ "News - HIGHER INSTITUTIONS MILITARY CADETS BATTLE..." www.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 17 December 2019.

External links[]


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