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A BRIEF HISTORY OF ROYAL BRUNEI ARMED FORCES TRAINING INSTITUTE

The Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces was officially established on the 7th April 1969. Initially it was known as the Depot Training Department and was situated at Bolkiah Camp. The Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces was established to take responsibility for all courses and training for Royal Brunei Armed Forces personnel.

The Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces has been given the authority to conduct and train Army personnel at all levels. This includes Basic Recruit Training, which transforms raw civilian recruits into trained soldiers. Besides that, the Training Institute has also been given the responsibility of upgrading the skills and knowledge of all Royal Brunei Armed Forces personnel.

The first Commanding Officer of the Training Institute was a loan service officer from the United Kingdom. He was incharge of the first courses and was in post from 1969 - 1970. A second loan service officer was appointed until 1973. Since then, the appointment has been held by Brunei officers. Major Dato Mohammad bin Daud (June 1973 - June 1974) was the first Brunei officer to be given the responsibilities of Commanding Officer. In July 1974 to April 1975 he was again appointed and then promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.

 


 

 

 

Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces was situated at Bolkiah Camp for seventeen years from 1969 until 1986. Six officers were appointed to lead the Training Institute at Bolkiah Camp after Lt Col Dato Haji Mohammad bin Haji Daud. The officers were as follows:

  • Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Datu Indera Negara Lieutenant Colonel Dato Paduka Ariffin bin Haji Abdul Wahab (May 1975 - January 1979)
  • Dato WJB Peat (appointed as acting Commanding Officer April 1979 - February 1980)
  • Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Orang Kaya Datu Indera Setia Diraja Lieutenant Colonel Dato Paduka Haji Abdul Aziz bin OKK Abdullah (February 1980 - April 1982)
  • Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Datu Maharajalela Lieutenant Colonel Dato Seri Laila Jasa Haji Musa bin Haji Yakub (January 1982 - April 1982)
  • Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Datu Pekerma Bijaya Lieutenant Colonel Dato Paduka Haji Husin bin Haji Sulaiman (April 1982 - April 1984)
  • Yang Dimuliakan Pehin Datu Perkasa Lieutenant Colonel Dato Seri Laila Jasa Ishak bin Haji Abdul Hamid (May 1984 - May 1986)
  • Lieutenant Colonel Haji Brahim bin Haji Jumahat (May 1986 - Jun 1989)

 


 

 

In May 1986, the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces was moved to Penanjong Garrison, and Lieutenant Colonel Haji Brahim bin Haji Jumahat was the first Commanding Officer there.

For the first twenty-two years of establishment (1969 - 1991), the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces was under the administration of the Regimental Headquarters and then the Armed Forces Headquarters. In 1991, orders from the Sultan, Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam, and the Defence Minister, declared the reformation of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces into five major units. These are: Royal Brunei Land Forces, Royal Brunei Navy, Royal Brunei Air Force, Support Services Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces and Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces . 

With this arrangement, the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces could now communicate directly to the Commander of Royal Brunei Armed Forces. At the same time, the appointment of Commanding Officer was changed to the Commandant of the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the appointment of Deputy Commandant was established. The first Commandant of the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces was Lieutenant Colonel Haji Ramli bin Haji Kampong, whilst the first Deputy Commandant was Major Haji Johari bin Haji Abdul Razak.

 


 

In the first year of the establishment of the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces, the number of courses conducted and facilities available were limited. However, now the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces has matured and has many trained and qualified instructors, and much more sophisticated teaching aids than thirty-four years ago.

At present, the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces is divided into eight major sub-units: Recruit Company; Course Company; School Cadet; School of Studies; Boys' Wing; Officers' Development Wing; Admin Company and Range Control Office. Until now, the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces has conducted no less than 58 courses per year for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces personnel at any level.

Training at the centre includes basic recruit military training, as well as other courses such as Drill Training, Weapon Training, and Method of Instruction courses. The Training Institute is equally capable of doing other courses in the academic field. This is through the School of Studies which conducts courses for the Boy's Company up to 'O' Level. As well as this school conducts courses for potential technicians and mechanics, Basic Malay courses for Loan Service Personnel and English language courses for RBAF personnel.

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Since it was established in 1971, the Brunei Cadets have attracted many students to participate in its organisation. One of the major activities that has been conducted by the organization was the large gathering of Brunei Cadets in 1993, which took place in Temburong. In 1994, the organisation once again successfully conducted a joint exercise with the Royal Brunei Navy which took place at the 'Pulau Muara Besar'.

In 1990, the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces established another department - the Officers' Development Wing. The department is responsible for the development for every officer in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces before they can attend any advanced course. The department is also responsible for conducting promotion examinations (PROMEX) for officers in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces. These examinations include theory and practical elements.

With the help of the Directorate of Training, the department is also responsible in conducting seminars up to an international level for officers (Majors) before they proceed to attend the Staff College course. Lecturers from various countries have been invited to make these seminars a success. This has included lecturers from the University of Brunei Darussalam, ASEAN and Europe.

 

 


 

 

As an important institution, the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces receives formal visits from both local and foreign visitors. The local visits include those from the Royal Family, ministers and study visits by local school students. The outside visit have included those by country leaders, military commanders, and group of students from military colleges.

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In thirty-four years, the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces has achieved many successes in fulfilling its responsibilities and duties. This has included the training of recruits and conducting courses for RBAF personnel. Other training and courses have been conducted at Diploma level, and these are; International Affairs, Military Technology, War Studies, ASEAN and Brunei Darussalam studies. These diploma level courses are mostly for officer development.

The Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces has produced thousands of trained soldiers and has upgraded many others. With the authority given, the Training Institute Of Royal Brunei Armed Forces has continued to develop, and will continue to produce high quality soldiers in the future.