Former Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), First Admiral (FADM)(Ret) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Othman bin Hj Suhaili @ Suhaily, was conferred Singapore's prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) or Meritorious Service Medal (Military) [MSM(M)], by President Halimah Yacob. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented the award to FADM(Ret) Dato Othman at an investiture held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this afternoon.

FADM(Ret) Dato Othman was conferred the award in recognition of his contributions in enhancing the bilateral defence relationship between the RBN and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). During his tenure, both navies commemorated the 40th anniversary of Exercise Pelican, which included the conduct of coordinated task group operations at sea, despite Covid-19 disruptions. FADM(Ret) Dato Othman's support for exchanges in mutual areas of interest, conduct of navy-to-navy talks, professional exchanges, port calls and the cross-attendance of courses deepened both navies' professional knowledge and people-to-people ties. His commitment to multilateral information-sharing promoted shared awareness of the regional maritime security situation. FADM(Ret) Dato Othman also encouraged new areas of bilateral cooperation, and seeded new opportunities for broader and deeper cooperation between both navies.

FADM(Ret) Dato Othman is in Singapore from 25 July to 27 July 2023. As part of his visit, he called on Dr Ng and Chief of Navy Rear Admiral Sean Wat, earlier today.