The Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) First Admiral (FADM) Dato Seri Pahlawan Spry bin Haji Serudi @ Haji Seruji 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 Dato Spry at an investiture held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) earlier today.

FADM Dato Spry was conferred the award for his significant contributions in enhancing the defence ties between the RBN and the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN). Under FADM Dato Spry's leadership, both navies conducted the 40th edition of Exercise Pelican in October 2022 which is a testament to their strong ties and deep mutual understanding. This also marked the first physical bilateral exercise between the two navies since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. FADM Dato Spry's support for exchanges in mutual areas of interest, port calls and the cross-attendance of courses has deepened both navies' professional knowledge and interoperability. His commitment to multilateral information-sharing and capacity-building initiatives has enhanced maritime security cooperation between both navies.

FADM Dato Spry is in Singapore from 16 to 19 October 2022. Prior to the investiture, he called on Dr Ng, Chief of Defence Force Lieutenant-General Melvyn Ong and Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral Aaron Beng after inspecting the Guard of Honour at MINDEF. FADM Dato Spry will also visit the RSN's Naval Diving Unit at Sembawang Camp later this afternoon.