The 52nd Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Anniversary Celebration was further made memorable with the launch of various new facilities at the Ministry of Defence, Bolkiah Garrison. The official opening of the RBAF Museum was followed by the launch of RBAF’s 50th Anniversary Book by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

The book entitled ‘A Journey of Accomplishments and Aspirations’ – compiled since two years ago just before the 50th RBAF Anniversary – depicts the establishment of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces coupled with its history and developments as well as future prospects of Brunei’s military.

Published by Brunei Press Commercial Printing Services, the contents of the book had to be researched in depth as there were a number of important historical facts that were needed to be ensured of its validity and authenticity as the 1960s paved the way for the formation of RBAF under the leadership of Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien and was further developed under the wise leadership of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam.

In an interview with the Head of Secretariat Publication, Lt Colonel Haji Mohd Shanonnizam bin Sulaiman, he stated that the objective of the book is for the RBAF to have historical facts since their establishment documented for the younger generation to appreciate the history of RBAF.

“It is important for the RBAF to publish this book as there is none like it and the last published book by the RBAF was during the 25th RBAF Anniversary. So after 25 years, we have decided to publish this book to capture all the historical events and developments of RBAF so people can appreciate how we have moved forward and developed,” explained Lt Colonel Haji Mohd Shanonnizam further.

The book contains pages dedicated to interviews with all of the previous Commanders as well as Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Aminuddin Ihsan bin Pehin Orang Kaya Saiful Mulok Dato Seri Paduka Haji Abidin, the current Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

It also contains interviews of about 15 to 20 former officers from the first few RBAF intakes as the pioneers of RBAF, in terms of how they chose the military as their career path, as well as what they have gone through throughout their career.

Many including RBAF personnel, who may not know about them can read their stories and years of experience, which they may find different compared to present day challenges in terms of technological advancements and knowledge base.

“The book succinctly summarises the 52 years of history of the founding and the evolution of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and the life history of the various Commanders,” said B A Hussainmiya, the principal writer of the book, who is also an Associate Professor in History at the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Universiti Brunei Darussalam. - Borneo Bulletin (2 June 2013)