Royal Brunei Land Forces

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.

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]

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]

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]

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]
	Fil marsyal		Jeneral		Leftenan jeneral		Mejar jeneral		Brigedier jeneral		Kolonel		Leftenan kolonel		Mejar		Kapten		Leftenan			Leftenan muda			Pegawai kadet

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]																													No insignia
	Sarjan mejar (Jawatan)			Pegawai waran 1			Pegawai waran 2	Pegawai kadet	Staf sarjan		Sarjan												Koperal				Lans koperal		Prebet/Soldadu

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.

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]

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