Royal Brunei Land Forces

Land service branch of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces

Not to be confused with Military of the Bruneian Sultanate.

Royal Brunei Land Forces

Tentera Darat Diraja Brunei

Coat of Arms of the Royal Brunei Land Forces

Founded| 31 May 1961
Country| Brunei
Type| Army
Role| Land warfare
Size| 3,000
Part of|  Royal Brunei Armed Forces
Equipment| See list
Commanders
Commander| BG Shanonnizam Sulaiman
Deputy Commander| COL Wata Abdullah Awat
Field Commander| Vacant
Chief of Staff| LTC Sufri Rosli
Sergeant Major| WO1 Kifley Johari
Insignia
Flag|

Military unit

The Royal Brunei Land Forces (Malay: Tentera Darat Diraja Brunei, abbrev: RBLF, TDDB) is the land component of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The RBLF has responsibility for maintaining the territorial defence of Brunei, both from attack from outsiders,[1] and by assisting the Royal Brunei Police in maintaining law and order.[2]

## History[edit]

Soldiers of the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment in 1967.

The Royal Brunei Land Forces was formed in May 1961 with the formation of the Brunei Malay Regiment, 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.[3] In 1965, the regiment received the royal prefix, becoming the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment. Initially stationed at Port Dickson in Malaya, the regiment was soon moved to a purpose built barracks in Brunei itself. The Royal Brunei Malay Regiment established two new units, the Boat Section and the Air Service in 1965 to increase its capabilities further. These two units, together with the infantry, were amalgamated into a single task force in 1966.[4]

In 1972, the regiment's structure was changed, with the infantry, aviation and naval sections split into separate units once again. The infantry companies became the 1st Battalion, Royal Brunei Malay Regiment, with a total of five rifle companies. Three years later, the 2nd Battalion, Royal Brunei Malay Regiment was formed by deamalgamating B and E Companies of the 1st Battalion.[4]

In 1984, Brunei achieved full independence from the United Kingdom. At that time, the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment was renamed as the Royal Brunei Land Forces, part of the wider Royal Brunei Armed Forces. In 1990, the Support Battalion was formed comprising an armoured reconnaissance squadron, air defence battery and combat engineer squadron, together with maintenance and administrative support. In 1994, the 3rd Battalion, Royal Brunei Land Forces was formed from members of D Company, 1st Battalion RBLF and F Company, 2nd Battalion RBLF, while the air defence battery and engineering workshop were transferred from the Support Battalion to the Royal Brunei Air Force and the Support Service respectively.[5]

In 9 July 2011, the RBLF conducted trials to replace their DPM BDUs with Digital Disruptive Pattern BDUs under a contract with Force-21 Equipment.[6]

## Organisation[edit]

First Battalion soldiers conducting a MOUT training during CARAT 2014.

The Royal Brunei Land Forces is organised as four separate battalions:[7]

* First Battalion
* Second Battalion
* Third Battalion
* Support Battalion

### First Battalion[edit]

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).[8]

Soldiers from the Second Battalion in action during CARAT 2022.

### Second Battalion[edit]

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.[9]

### Third Battalion[edit]

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,[10] as of 21 June 2007, the Battalion has relocated to a new camp at Lumut in the Belait District.[11]

### Support Battalion[edit]

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.[12]

## Commander[edit]

No. | Portrait  | Name

(Birth–Death)

| Term of office  | Ref.

|
|
|
|

Took office  | Left office  | Time in office
1  |  | Major general
Husin Ahmad
(born 1944) | 17 September 1991  | 10 August 1994  | 2 years, 327 days  | [13]
2  |  | Major general
Shari Ahmad | 11 August 1994  | 28 October 1999  | 5 years, 78 days
3  |  | Major general
Jaafar Abdul Aziz | 29 October 1999  | 31 January 2001  | 1 year, 84 days
4  |  | Major general
Halbi Mohammad Yussof
(born 1956) | 1 February 2001  | 14 March 2003  | 3 years, 42 days
5  |  | Colonel
Abdu'r Rahmani Basir | 15 March 2003  | 1 July 2005  | 1 year, 108 days
6  |  | Colonel
Rosli Chuchu | 1 July 2005  | 12 December 2008  | 3 years, 164 days
7  |  | Major general
Aminuddin Ihsan
(born 1966) | 12 December 2008  | 13 November 2009  | 336 days  | [14]
8  |  | Brigadier general
Yussof Abdul Rahman | 13 November 2009  | 1 December 2014  | 5 years, 18 days  | [13]
9  |  | Major general
Aminan Mahmud
(born 1968) | 1 December 2014  | 31 January 2018  | 3 years, 60 days  | [15]
10  |  | Brigadier general
Khairul Hamed | 31 January 2018  | 30 July 2020  | 2 years, 191 days  | [16]
11  |  | Major general
Haszaimi Bol Hassan | 30 July 2020  | 1 March 2022  | 1 year, 224 days  | [17]
12  |  | Brigadier general
Abdul Razak
(born 1972) | 1 March 2022  | 10 June 2022  | 101 days  | [18]
13  |  | Brigadier general
Saifulrizal Abdul Latif | 10 June 2022  | 9 June 2023  | 364 days  | [19]
14  |  | Brigadier general
Shanonnizam Sulaiman | 9 June 2023  | Incumbent | 291 days  | [20]

## Rank structure[edit]

A RBLF Major carrying out VIP escort duties in 2022.

Main article: Military ranks of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces

### Commissioned Officers[edit]

The rank insignia for commissioned officers for the Royal Brunei Land Forces.

Rank group  | General / flag officers  | Senior officers  | Junior officers  | Officer cadet

|
|
|
|

Royal Brunei Land Forces[21]

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Fil marsyal | Jeneral | Leftenan jeneral | Mejar jeneral | Brigedier jeneral | Kolonel | Leftenan kolonel | Mejar | Kapten | Leftenan | Leftenan muda

### Enlisted[edit]

Unlike most Commonwealth armed forces, Brunei has maintained 4 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 Forces.

Rank group  | Senior NCOs  | Junior NCOs  | Enlisted

|
|
|

Royal Brunei Land Forces[21]

* v
* t
* e

|  |  |  |

* * *

|  |  | No insignia

* * *

Pegawai waran 1 | Pegawai waran 2 | Staf sarjan | Sarjan | Koperal | Lans koperal | Prebet/Soldadu

## Equipment[edit]

Main article: List of equipment of the Royal Brunei Land Forces

* HICOM Handalan

* Bruneian soldier in combat dress

* Bruneian and US Marine training during CARAT 2019.

* Bruneian honour guards

* Véhicule de l'Avant Blindé (VAB) VTT

* Bruneian sniper with a SAKO M591

## Bases[edit]

Training between Brunei and the United States at Tutong Camp during CARAT 2022. Name  | Location  | Unit(s)

|
|

Berakas Camp  | Berakas 'A' |

* First Battalion Royal Brunei Land Force (1Bn RBLF)[22]
* Royal Brunei Land Force Headquarters (RBLF HQ)[23]
* Headquarters Company Royal Brunei Land Force (HQ Coy RBLF)[23]
* Dental Services Royal Brunei Land Force (DS RBLF)[24]
* Combat Service Support, Royal Brunei Land Force (CSS RBLF)[25]
* Land Engineering Combat Service Support Royal Brunei Land Force (LE CSS RBLF)[26]

Bolkiah Garrison | Berakas 'A'  |

* Logistic Depot[22]
* Medical Health and Services Headquarters[27]

Sungai Akar Camp  | Berakas 'B' |

* Royal Guards Regiment Royal Brunei Land Force (RGdR RBLF)[28]

Lumut Camp  | Liang |

* Third Battalion Royal Brunei Land Force (3Bn RBLF)[29]
* Military Transport Platoon, Third Battalion of Royal Brunei Land Force (MT Plt, 3Bn RBLF)[30]
* Intelligence Section, Third Battalion of Royal Brunei Land Force (Int Sect, 3Bn RBLF)[31]

Tutong Camp | Pekan Tutong |

* Second Battalion Royal Brunei Land Force (2Bn RBLF)[32]

Penanjong Garrison  | Pekan Tutong  |

* Support Battalion Royal Brunei Land Force (Sp Bn RBLF)[33]
* School of Infantry Royal Brunei Land Force (SOI RBLF)[34]
* Land Engineering[22]

Bangar Camp  | Bangar |
Muara Naval Base | Serasa |

* Combat Boat Squadron, Support Battalion Royal Brunei Land Force (CBS, Sp Bn RBLF)[35]

Baru-Baru Island  | Brunei Bay |

* Forward Operating Base (FOB)[36]

## International ties[edit]

British Puma helicopter in flight over Jerudong in 2022.

### United Kingdom[edit]

Main article: British Military Garrison Brunei

The Royal Brunei Land Forces 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[edit]

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[37] and the Singapore Army[38] on a regular basis. The RBLF has also conducted regular exercises with the armies of both Australia,[39] China, New Zealand, Philippines[40] and Thailand,[41] while the United States Marine Corps conducts annual Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) in Brunei.[42]

## Alliances[edit]

* United Kingdom \- Brigade of Gurkhas
* Singapore \- Singapore Armed Forces

## References[edit]

1. ^ Roles Page 1 Royal Brunei Land Forces Archived 5 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
2. ^ Roles Page 3 Royal Brunei Land Forces Archived 5 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
3. ^ History Page 1 Royal Brunei Land Forces Archived 20 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
4. ^ a b History Page 2 Royal Brunei Land Forces Archived 25 August 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
5. ^ History Page 5 Royal Brunei Land Forces Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
6. ^ "Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) awarded Force 21 with three contracts. : Welcome to Force 21". force21.com.sg. Archived from the original on 27 September 2019. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
7. ^ Page 1 Organisation Royal Brunei Land Force Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
8. ^ Page 2 Organisation Royal Brunei Land Force Archived 22 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
9. ^ Page 3 Organisation Royal Brunei Land Force Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
10. ^ Page 4 Organisation Royal Brunei Land Force Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
11. ^ New Lumut Camp Celebrates Nisfu Syaaban Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 18 February 2009
12. ^ Page 5 Organisation Royal Brunei Land Force Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
13. ^ a b "MINDEF - RBLF History". Ministry of Defence.
14. ^ "News_Test - Commander RBAF Hands Over Duty And Welcomes..." www.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
15. ^ "COMMANDER ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE". ilabdb.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 18 October 2022.
16. ^ "Promotion Ceremony | Brunei's No.1 News Website". www.brudirect.com. Retrieved 25 October 2022.
17. ^ "RBLF welcomes new commander » Borneo Bulletin Online". RBLF welcomes new commander. 1 August 2020. Retrieved 22 October 2022.
18. ^ "News - HANDOVER CEREMONY FOR NEWLY APPOINTED COMMANDER..." www.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
19. ^ "NEW ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE COMMANDER APPOINTED". Royal Brunei Land Forces. 10 June 2022. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
20. ^ "COMMANDER ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE". land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
21. ^ a b "Akta Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (Penggal 149)" [Royal Brunei Armed Forces Act (Chapter 149)] (PDF). AGC.gov.bn (in Malay). Attorney General's Chambers, Prime Minister's Office, Brunei Darussalam. 16 December 2013. pp. 1999–2000. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
22. ^ a b c "MINDEF - RBLF Organization". mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
23. ^ a b "News Headlines - PROMOTION CEREMONY FOR PERSONNEL OF ROYAL..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
24. ^ "News Headlines - DENTAL SERVICES ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE CELEBRATES..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
25. ^ "News Headlines - SERGEANT LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT COURSE SERIES..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
26. ^ "News Headlines - LAND ENGINEERING COMBAT SERVICE SUPPORT ROYAL..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
27. ^ "News Headlines - CHIEF MEDICAL OFFICER, MEDICAL AND HEALTH..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
28. ^ "News Headlines - PROMOTION CEREMONY FOR PERSONNEL OF ROYAL..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
29. ^ New Lumut Camp Celebrates Nisfu Syaaban Archived 29 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 18 February 2009
30. ^ "News Headlines - THIRD BATTALION OF ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
31. ^ "News Headlines - THIRD BATTALION ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE CONDUCTED..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
32. ^ "News Headlines - SECOND BATTALION ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
33. ^ "News Headlines - HANDOVER CEREMONY OF ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
34. ^ "News Headlines - CLOSING CEREMONY OF PATROL LEADER COMBAT..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
35. ^ "News Headlines - CLOSING CEREMONY OF BASIC ASSAULT BOAT TRAINING..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
36. ^ "News Headlines - AIDILFITRI CELEBRATION WITH MINSTER OF DEFENCE..." land.mindef.gov.bn. Retrieved 12 July 2022.
37. ^ Bilateral Page 2 Archived 20 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
38. ^ Bilateral Page 3 Archived 23 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
39. ^ "Bruneian soldiers finish exercising in Brisbane". 6 December 2019.
40. ^ "Philippines, Brunei to hold joint military exercises". The Philippine STAR.
41. ^ Bilateral Page 1 Archived 23 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007
42. ^ Bilateral Page 8 Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine \- Retrieved 23 April 2007

### Works cited[edit]

* "The Military Balance: Annual Estimates of the Nature and Size of the Military Forces of the Principal Powers". The Military Balance. 112. London, England: International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). February 2012. ISSN 0459-7222. OCLC 819695409.

## Further reading[edit]

* "RBLF Introduction – Royal Brunei Land Forces brief history". MinDef.gov.bn. Bolkiah Garrison, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei: Defence Information Technology Unit, Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam.
* "RBLF History". MinDef.gov.bn. Bolkiah Garrison, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei: Defence Information Technology Unit, Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam.

## External links[edit]

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