Singapore and Brunei Successfully Conclude 25th Edition of Exercise Maju Bersama

Chief of Army Major-General (MG) David Neo and Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), Brigadier-General (BG) Dato Seri Pahlawan Awang Saifulrizal bin Abdul Latif co-officiated the opening ceremony of Exercise Maju Bersama at Kranji Camp.

Chief of Staff – General Staff, Brigadier-General (BG) Tan Cheng Kwee and Deputy Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), Colonel Muhammad Wata bin Abdullah Awat co-officiated the closing ceremony of Exercise Maju Bersama at Kranji Camp this morning.

Held from 21 to 30 November 2022, the 25th edition of the exercise involved more than 240 participants from the 2nd Singapore Infantry Brigade (2SIB) and the 2nd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (2SIR) and 1st Battalion, RBLF. The exercise comprised small arms live-firing at the Multi-Mission Range Complex, platoon and company-level urban operations training, and culminated in a joint combined assault by both Armies on a simulated urban objective.

To commemorate its 25th edition, this year's exercise was held in conjunction with Exercise Rintis Bersama. Exercise Rintis Bersama, conducted as a Subject Matter Expert Exchange, involved more than 40 participants from the Singapore Army's Headquarters Army Intelligence, the 11th Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Intelligence Battalion, and the RBLF's Combat Engineer Squadron, Support Battalion, who engaged in a professional exchange on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) systems such as the SAF's Micro-UAV and Veloce-15 (V15) Mini-UAV systems.

At the closing ceremony, BG Tan highlighted the importance of Exercise Maju Bersama. He said, "Exercise Maju Bersama continues to be the flagship exercise between the Royal Brunei Land Force and the Singapore Army. It is a vital platform where our people can meet and engage one another, from the private soldier in rank and file, to the senior leadership from both Armies." He added, "This exercise has indeed forged bonds and memories that would last a lifetime, not just for our soldiers, but for our armies… I look forward to seeing our troops continue to build on and strengthening this relationship, in all our upcoming collaborative opportunities; such as in our exchanges on Unmanned Aerial Vehicles capability development and future iterations of Exercise Maju Bersama and Exercise Rintis Bersama".

Exercise Maju Bersama underscores the close and long-standing defence relations between Singapore and Brunei and provides an excellent opportunity for both countries to strengthen army-to-army professional interactions. Apart from Exercise Maju Bersama, the Singapore Army and the RBLF also interact regularly through other bilateral and multilateral exercises, high-level visits, professional exchanges and courses, which have fostered mutual understanding and strengthened ties between the two armies.

The RBLF soldiers receiving a brief on the Veloce 15 (V15) mini-unmanned aerial vehicle (mUAV) during the subject matter expert exchange of Exercise Rintis Bersama at Mandai Hill Camp.

The RBLF soldiers crossing from building-to-building during their combined full troop exercise at Murai Urban Training Facility (MUTF).

Soldiers from the RBLF and the 2nd Battalion, Singapore Infantry Regiment (2 SIR) entering a building at MUTF.

Soldiers from the RBLF and 2 SIR planning their next move during the combined full troop exercise.

Soldiers from the RBLF and 2 SIR advancing up a staircase.

A soldier from 2 SIR flying the micro-UAV at MUTF to support the assault phase of the exercise. The micro-UAV was flown as part of the exercise for the first time.

Chief of Staff – General Staff Brigadier-General (BG) Tan Cheng Kwee delivering his remarks at the closing ceremony at Kranji Camp this morning.