Brunei Ministry of Defense

The Sultan is both Minister of Defense and Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces (RBAF). After independence, His Majesty, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam set-up the Ministry of Defence and re-organized the structure of Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The establishment of the Ministry of Defence on the 1st January 1984 marked a new era for Brunei Darussalam's defence. This marked the beginning for Brunei Darussalam to be responsible in handling its own defence matters.

With the establishment, Al Marhum Sultan Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, who was then called Duli Yang Teramat Mulia Paduka Seri Begawan Sultan Sir Muda Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien Sa'adul Khairi Waddien, the father of His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam assumed the position of the Minister of Defence. On the demise of the Al Marhum on 7 September 1986, His Majesty The Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan assumed the position of Minister of Defence.

With His Majesty's vision and guidance, the alignment programme and Strategic Planning was introduced. The Ministry of Defence has been proactive when deciding the Ministry's vision and mission. The vision of the Ministry is 'Gallantry in Defence' and the mission of the Ministry is to protect the national sovereignty, territorial integrity and support the philosophy of Malay Islamic Monarchy. In 1987, the Ministry of Defence was divided into two sections comprising the civilian and military.

On 1 April 1984, Brunei Malay Regiment became Royal Brunei Armed Forces. 17 September 1991 marks the beginning of the re-organisation of Royal Brunei Armed Forces comprising of Royal Brunei Land Force, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force, Royal Brunei Services Force, Royal Brunei Armed Forces Training Centre. RBAF, despite the small manpower, is a united combatant team and efficiently trained equipped with several advanced weaponary, including missiles, armored vehicles, surveillance aircraft and armed patrol vessels.

The battalion of the Gurkha Reserve Unit, formerly under British Government was placed under the Brunei Ministry of Defence, through a defence pact signed between Brunei and the British Government. In order to preserve peace and stability in Brunei Darussalam, this battalion would continue to be stationed in Brunei until 19 September 2008.

To many in the RBAF, managing money and acquisitions is distasteful work not fit for true warriors and better left for foreign technicians and female accountants. Brunei's traditionally slow, top-down decision making process, has soured some U.S. firms on doing business here. MinDef and other relevant ministries lack the technical expertise to adequately scope and specify Brunei's needs.

Brunei's military continues to focus on developing its capabilities, especially in the areas of disaster relief and peace keeping operations. Brunei participates in peacekeeping operations in the Philippines and Lebanon. Brunei's junior officer corps sees the U.S. Military's training as a model and Brunei's Ministry of Defense is incorporating aspects of U.S. Military training into its curriculum. Brunei's military, through SEACAT and other exercises is seeking to expand their counter terrorism capabilities. Maritime security remains a key concern, in conjunction with protecting strategic resources such as the oil and gas platforms. The ability to protect territorial waters is an area of primary focus for Brunei.

Following on to successful deployments to the Mindanao Monitoring Mission and the Aceh Tsunami relief effort, Brunei has taken on board the positive lessons learned and begun to develop some capabilities in peacekeeping and humanitarian response. The 2007 Update to the Defense White Paper gave new priority to building a more deployable force. Thanks in part to training run by New Zealand and participation in GPOI exercises including Khan Quest and Shanti Doot, Brunei hoped to acquire the capability to rapidly deploy a purpose-trained platoon-sized unit to UN PKO's.

An essential principle underpinning the recent development of the RBAF has been the adoption of a much more integrated approach to planning and operations. The Joint Force Commander has been appointed, the Joint Operations Centre is being developed as the nerve centre of the force, and significant progress has been made with introducing the essential C41 capabilities to underpin a networked force.

After the original establishment as the Brunei Malay Regiment on 31 May 1961, the small infantry force of three companies had to wait three years until it was able to deploy to a home barracks. Modest naval and air mobility were introduced shortly afterwards but the force's roles were confined primarily to the development and security of the nation itself. It was ten years before the Boat Squadron gained a limited capacity to control coastal waters, a second infantry battalion was only formed in 1975, and a further five years elapsed before the Air Wing gained a second helicopter squadron.

From the late 1970s, a series of significant enhancements occurred in the size, combat power and organisation of the armed forces. The Navy acquired more formidable missile equipped patrol craft. The Land Force's firepower and reconnaissance capability was boosted with the purchase of the Scorpion light tank and Rapier surface to air missile. A fixed wing training capability complemented the Air Force's new Bell 212 helicopters, establishing the foundations for a future air defence capability. The formal establishment of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces on 17 September 1991 with a distinct Land Force, Navy and Air Force reflected this new robustness and provided a clear framework for future development in each of the Services.