| Hakim Hayat |
BRITISH Secretary of State for Defence Gavin Williamson has taken time out to visit British forces in the Sultanate.
Williamson is in Southeast Asia for a conference with members of the regional bloc Asean.
According to the British High Commission in Brunei Darussalam, these visits are an important opportunity to nurture and further develop the excellent defence and humanitarian cooperation between the UK and its Asean partners.
Williamson met with the British High Commissioner to Brunei Darussalam Richard Lindsay, and Brunei-based UK troops at their base, Tuker Lines. He conversed with service families and awarded Long Service and Good Conduct Medals.
He later got onboard an Army Air Corps helicopter to be flown deep into the heart of the jungle to experience what it is like to live and operate in what can only be described as, perhaps the most demanding and exacting of environments.
A British Army Gurkha Battalion has been maintained in Brunei at the invitation of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam since 1962.
The tropical climate and terrain provide ideal jungle training, and the Jungle Warfare Division (JWD) runs courses for all members of the British Army and its allies.
As specialists, JWD and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) recently hosted a Jungle Warfare Symposium that saw 13 key states in Southeast Asia come together in a strong demonstration of defence cooperation.
Lindsay said, “It is the Defence Secretary’s first visit to Brunei since his appointment in November 2017. He is visiting British Forces in Brunei and will meet the Brunei Minister of Defence II to discuss the long-standing and very close defence relationship between the UK and Brunei.”
On the purpose of the visit to Southeast Asia, he said, “The visit is a demonstration of UK’s enduring commitment to peace and security in the Asia Pacific region, and to uphold the rules based system on which our shared security depends.”
The Defence Secretary is en route to Singapore to participate in the annual Shangri La Dialogue, the region’s premier security conference.