MUARA, Monday 14 December 2020 – Exercise SEMBILANG is an annual bilateral exercise conducted between the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) and the Marine Police Royal Brunei Police Force (POLMAR), Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF). The RBN has the honor to host this year’s exercise whereby this year’s exercise includes assets from Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF) and Royal Brunei Airforce (RBAirF).
Exercise SEMBILANG was officiated by Commander Khairil Haji Abdul Rahman, Fleet Commander of RBN which took place at the Multinational Coordination Centre (MNCC) in Muara. Present during the ceremony were Superintendent Haji Mahran bin Haji Ahmad, Officer Commanding POLMAR, RBPF, Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Roasri Erwan Bin Haji Tasrif, Assistant Chief of Staff Operations and Lieutenant Colonel Rudie Asmawie bin Haji Abidin, Commanding Officer of Support Battalion.
During the opening ceremony, the Fleet Commander highlighted in his speech that this exercise is aimed to build understanding between the agencies involved and enhance operational capabilities as well as interoperability in order to ensure a stable, secure, and safe maritime. He also iterated that the need for the Whole of Government approach is one of the key factors in the success of any operations. This was also mentioned by His Majesty the Sultan of Negara Brunei Darussalam during His Royal Speech in conjunction with the 58th RBAF Anniversary.
Exercise SEMBILANG will be conducted in three phases namely harbor phase, sea phase and post exercise phase. The harbor phase will be carried out at Muara Naval base where it consists of harbor towing practical exercise, boarding demo by both RBN and POLMAR, RBPF, navigation classes and information sharing by relevant agencies. The sea phase will focus on meeting the feasibility and time trials of the scenarios and exercise. The final phase will be the post-exercise phase, which will consist of Hot Wash Up brief and lastly, competing for the SEMBILANG trophy between RBN supported by Assault Boat Squadron, RBLF and POLMAR, RBPF, and the deactivation of the exercise.
