SHAH ALAM: Defence Minister DSU Mohamad Hasan visited Brunei on February 7, his first foreign visit since taking over the ministry in early December. Among others, he and his delegation had an audience with the Brunei Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at Istana Nurul Iman, Bandar Seri Begawan. Mohamad also personally invited the Brunei King, who is also the defence minister to LIMA 2023 scheduled this May. He also met with the Brunei deputy defence minister DS Abdul Razak Abdul Kadir.
From Kementerian Pertahanan:
KERJASAMA MALAYSIA DAN BRUNEI KUKUHKAN HUBUNGAN BILATERAL ANTARA KEDUA DUA NEGARA
Brunei, 7 Februari 2023 – Malaysia dan Brunei Darussalam mempunyai hubungan dua hala yang telah lama terjalin.
Menteri Pertahanan, YB Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad bin Haji Hasan telah sembah mengadap Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam dalam siri Lawatan Rasmi beliau bagi membincangkan secara meluas mengenai kerjasama pertahanan Malaysia dan Brunei Darussalam di Istana Nurul Iman, Bandar Seri Begawan.
Pertemuan kedua-dua negara ini membawa kepada sesi perbincangan yang produktif khususnya mengenai kerjasama pertahanan antara Malaysia dan Brunei.
Sebelum itu, YB Menteri Pertahanan telah mengadakan pertemuan bersama Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan Negara Brunei Darussalam, Brig Jen (B) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Razak bin Haji Abdul Kadir.
Dalam pertemuan tersebut, kedua-dua Menteri telah menyatakan komitmen untuk mengukuhkan kerjasama pertahanan dan ketenteraan melalui platform dua hala dan pelbagai hala. Lawatan Rasmi ini juga merupakan salah satu bukti ikatan kukuh dan dinamik melibatkan kedua-buah negara.
YB Dato’ Seri Utama Haji Mohamad turut menjemput Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam serta Timbalan Menteri Pertahanan untuk mengunjungi Pameran Maritim dan Aeroangkasa Antarabangsa Langkawi 2023 (LIMA ‘23) yang akan berlangsung dari 23-27 Mei 2023.
Lawatan Rasmi YB Menteri Pertahanan ini telah memberi peluang kepada kedua-dua negara untuk mempertingkatkan lagi perkongsian strategik antara Malaysia dan Brunei.
— Malaysian Defence
If our think tank is in the scene.. we have to start negotiate the purchase of surplus or ex Brunei military asset such as their blackhawk. Other than that, US also in progress decommissioned some of their large ship / LPD, that we might use for catering Spratly Island patrol.. since the LCS is long way to go…
@Wan
US assets are a resource hog. For older ships, they are well used so it will have high mileage and parts will need a lot of replacing, the high tech weapons & sensor systems are maint intensive and needs a lot of money to upkeep – that oso if it wasn’t removed beforehand and we only got a empty ship, and then the gas turbine engines too another maint hog and drinks expensive special grade fuel.
‘ex Brunei military asset such as their blackhawk.’
Something told me that someone would bring up the issue of former RBAF Blackhawks. There is no such intent.
‘ US also in progress decommissioned some of their large ship / LPD’
We previously rejected the offer of a former USN LPD because it’s operating costs was way too high for us.
”that we might use for catering Spratly Island patrol”
LPDs are not used for patrol.
Looks like the delegation flew into Brunei on 20 Skuadron C-130H-30 M30-15, based in Subang AB.
M30-15 is the 2nd youngest Hercules in TUDM fleet, delivered in early 1990s.
Right now there is a close relationship between Brunei and Malaysian armies, with many Malaysian army officers seconded to Brunei, and Brunei army embedding themselves in MALBATT for UNIFIL deployments.
There could be much closer relationship with TUDM and TLDM, with officers from both countries airforce and navy doing exchanges. TLDM and TLDB could conduct joint patrols in SCS.
hulubalang – ”delivered in early 1990s.”
1995.
hulubalang – ‘Right now there is a close relationship between Brunei and Malaysian armies”
Not ”right now” but for decades. There are annual land exercises including a mortar one and Bruneian officers are regular attendees at Highgate, the UN Peacekeeping Centre and the Defence College.
Note that in the past there has also been an element of suspicion on the part of Brunei. The treaty it has with the U.K; its Ghurka battalion and the close relationship with the SAF wasn’t only driven by the need to safeguard against Indonesia and a possible repeat of the Brunei Rebellion.
hulubalang – ”There could be much closer relationship with TUDM and TLDM”
There is no desire on the part of both sides to take things to a higher level.