Upon inception, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces were originally known as the Brunei Malay Regiment. On 31 May 1965, the word 'Diraja' was added to the title, hence it became known as the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment. It finally adopted its current name on 1 January 1984, that is on the day Brunei proclaimed independence from the United Kingdom.
The Royal Brunei Land Forces 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. The Royal Brunei Land Forces is the largest of the armed services.
The Royal Brunei Air Force 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. The Royal Brunei Air Force fixed-wing inventory is limited to around 4 Pilatus PC-7 training aircraft and Airbus CN-235transport aircraft. On 14 July 2014, the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces announced plans to order the C-130J in the near future. On 7 October 2014, Brunei purchased a single C-130J with spare parts and logistic support for 343 million dollars.
Royal Brunei Navy
The Royal Brunei Navy 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.
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.
Bands
The RBAF Band was established on 31 May 1962 at Port Dickinson in Malaysia. It originally had 21 members. On 1 January 1984, Major Haji Manaf bin Kamis became the first local to head the band. 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 DarussalamInternational Tattoo and the Berlin Military Music Festival. 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. The 2nd and 3rd Battalion Royal Brueni Land Forces Pipes and Drums are also part of the larger RBAF Band. Bands are also maintained in the Navy and the Air Force.
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.
Recruitment
Only Brunei citizens of the Malay ethnicity are allowed to enlist in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. The Malay ethnicity comprises the Belait, Bisaya, Brunei, Dusun, Kedayan, Murut, and Tutong indigenous races as defined in the Brunei constitution. 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 Military Cadet should not be confused with the RBAF Military Cadets of Higher Institutions despite sharing the same name. They could be identified by the uniforms they are wearing.
Miscellaneous
The Royal Brunei Armed Forces 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.
