MUARA, Friday, 25 September 2020 – Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) welcomed the return of KDB DARULEHSAN at Jetty Bravo, Muara Naval base after having successfully participated in the largest multi-lateral maritime exercise, 27th Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2020, that was conducted in Hawaii, United States of America (USA) from 17-31 August.
Present at the RBN Jetty to welcome KDB DARULEHSAN’s officers and crew was First Admiral Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Othman bin Haji Suhaili @ Suhaily, Commander of RBN, senior officers and officers of RBN. The arrival of KDB DARULEHSAN commenced with the recital of doa selamat followed by the welcoming remarks by the Commander Navy
During the exercise, KDB DARULEHSAN successfully launched its EXOCET Missile, proving the capability and efficiency of RBN personnel in ensuring the readiness of equipment and missile armament systems. Other series of exercises were also executed such as War at Sea Exercise (WASEX) and Photo Exercise (PHOTOEX) with the purpose of enhancing interoperability. During the deployment, KDB DARULEHSAN also participated in bilateral Exercise PELICAN with Republic of Singapore Navy and the Multi-National Group Sail (MNGS), while en route to Guam and Hawaii, respectively.
The extensive activities during RIMPAC Exercise did not hinder the KDB DARULEHSAN’s crew in celebrating Aidiladha and Hijrah’s Eve despite being away from families and loved ones. Officers and crew held a Khatam Al-Quran ceremony on the returning journey to Brunei Darussalam. This deployment marks a significant milestone in establishing RBN as a reliable maritime partner in the region and wider platforms.
RIMPAC Exercise is a biennial exercise designed to foster and sustain cooperative relationships that is critical to ensuring the safety of sea lanes. With the theme of the exercise “Capable, Adaptive, Partners”, RIMPAC was participated by 10 countries which comprised of 22 naval ships and 5,200 personnel. Planners and exercise participants have meticulously shaped and developed RIMPAC 2020 to be a sea-phase only, as social interactions were prohibited throughout the exercise.
