James Kon
Officers should be open to new opportunities of cooperation, said the Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Major General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat to the latest cohort in the Command and Staff Course (CSC) at the RBAF Defence Academy yesterday.
The RBAF Commander said that officers will need to have a shared commitment and mutual responsibility in addressing common security challenges to maintain peace and stability.
He urged all the participants to be actively engaged and challenge them to get out of their comfort zones.
The course “will equip you with concepts, knowledge and skills that will help your transition from middle-management to becoming senior officers, as well as bridge the gap between abstract principles and reality”, he said. “The diversity of the cohort provides a platform of different perspectives, enabling you to learn from one another, gain new insights and widen your understanding to face the challenges ahead.”
Forty-three officers are undergoing the 10-month CSC 12/2022 following the official opening ceremony that took place at the RBAF Defence Academy yesterday.
Permanent Secretary (Security, Enforcement and Law) at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) Dato Paduka Haji Sufian bin Haji Sabtu, Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) Datin Dr Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina binti Pehin Orang Kaya Laila Wijaya Dato Seri Setia Haji Awang Abdul Aziz, RBAF Service Commanders, Deputy Commissioner of Police, senior officers as well as the defence advisers and attachés to Brunei Darussalam were present.
The ceremony began with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and Surah Al-Imran led by the representative of the course participants, Major Pengiran Muhd Khairuddin bin Pengiran Haji Mohd Tali.
The ceremony also saw a symbolic unfurling of flags, which signifies cooperation between countries taking part in the course.
It also emphasised the importance for participants to forge strong friendships during the course.
The participants include 25 RBAF officers, an officer from the Royal Brunei Police Force, an officer from the Ministry of Defence, an officer from the Internal Security Department at the PMO and 15 international military officers from 12 countries – Australia, Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, the Philippines, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and the United Kingdom.
The CSC 12/2022 provides an opportunity for participants to expand professional and academic knowledge towards a contemporary strategic environment and its implications on their work as defence and security specialists.
It is a 40-week course delivered in partnership with UBD for the fourth year as its primary academic provider. By the end of the course, successful course participants will be awarded the UBD graduate Diploma in Defence and Security Studies with an opportunity to pursue a Master’s Degree in Defence and Security Studies.
