Brunei Deputy Minister of Defence Brigadier General (BG) (Rtd) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Abdul Razak bin Haji Abdul Kadir 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 BG (Rtd) Dato Razak at an investiture held at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) this morning for his contributions as former Commander of the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF).

BG (Rtd) Dato Razak was conferred the award in recognition of his deep commitment and outstanding contributions towards enhancing the defence ties and strengthening professional cooperation between the RBLF and the Singapore Army. Under BG (Rtd) Dato Razak's leadership, both armies engaged in a wide spectrum of activities, including facilitating COVID-19 assistance packages, holding professional exchanges as well as engaging in high-level visits. Such interactions have fostered mutual understanding and strengthened the friendship and camaraderie between the soldiers of both armies.

BG (Rtd) Dato Razak is in Singapore from 31 August to 4 September for his introductory visit. Prior to the investiture, BG (Rtd) Dato Razak called on Dr Ng after inspecting the Guard of Honour at MINDEF. As part of his visit, BG (Rtd) Dato Razak visited the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA) today. Tomorrow, BG (Rtd) Dato Razak will visit RSS Singapura - Changi Naval Base, where he will visit the Maritime Security and Response Vessels (MSRVs) and receive a briefing on how the MSRVs have added capacity and capabilities to the Republic of Singapore Navy to protect Singapore's territorial waters and and respond to an expanded range of maritime security threats. He will also be hosted to a visit to ST Engineering tomorrow morning and MINDEF's Cybersecurity Operations Centre in the afternoon, where he will be briefed on the cyber defence capabilities and efforts of MINDEF and the Singapore Armed Forces.