Brunei’s deputy defense minister is visiting Singapore this week as the two Southeast Asian countries commemorate the 40th anniversary of their bilateral defense ties.
First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Abdul Aziz bin Haji Mohammad Tamit is on a trip to the city-state from November 8 to November 11, following Singaporean Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen’s visit to Brunei in August.
During his visit, the deputy defense minister called on and then held a lunch with Ng where both parties “reaffirmed the close and longstanding defense relations between Singapore and Brunei,” according to a statement by Singapore’s defense ministry (MINDEF).
His visit also includes trips to Singapore’s new Cyber Security Agency, the Defense Science and Technology Agency Integrated Complex, the Murai Urban Training Facility, and the Singapore Air Force’s 126 Squadron. During those visits, he was hosted and briefed by Chief of Staff-General Brigadier-General Desmond Tan, Commander OCS Colonel Kenny Tay, Chief of Air Force Major-General Mervyn Tan, and Chief of Defense Force Lieutenant-General Perry Lim.
He will also witness the ongoing Exercise Maju Bersama between the Singapore Army and the Royal Brunei Land Forces (RBLF).
The visit was just the latest in a string of activities as both sides celebrate their defense ties. In August, both countries signed a Memorandum of Understanding Concerning Defense Technology Cooperation (DT MOU), which expands current collaboration and provides a framework to work on capabilities programs together in the defense technology domain (See: “Singapore, Brunei Ink New Defense Pact”).
Ng, who was in Brunei for a visit that included witnessing the signing of that MoU, also visited Exercise Pelican, a bilateral naval exercise conducted by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) and the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) (See: “Singapore, Brunei Conclude Naval Exercise”).
During his visit to Brunei, Ng praised the state of bilateral defense ties, which had begun in 1976.
“It has been 40 years of defense ties and we have built up very good relations,” Ng said. He added that he hoped defense ties would continue to grow year on year, as the relationship that Singapore has with Brunei “is a very special and precious relationship.”