Brunei and Australia in Exercise Penguin 16/15

Lieutenant Colonel (L) Pengiran Mohammad bin Pengiran Haji Damit, Fleet Commander of Royal Brunei Navy; Lieutenant Commander Philip Draper, Commander Officer of HMAS Armidale; RAN Wing Com-mander Michael Cawley, Deputy Defence Advisor to Singapore and Brunei Darussalam as well as RBN officials in a group photo (Source: Borneo Bulletin)

MILITARY ties between Brunei Darussalam and Australia are set to be enhanced following the launch of Exercise Penguin 16/15, a bilateral exercise conducted biennially between Royal Brunei Navy (RBN) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN).

Lieutenant Colonel (L) Pengiran Mohammad bin Pengiran Haji Damit, Fleet Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy, said the objective of the exercise was to strengthen the relationship between both parties through operational and naval practices.

“I am confident that the exercise will achieve its objectives,” he said during the opening ceremony at the Muara Naval Base, adding that both navies had been working together for the best part of the last decade.

“The exercise has evolved over the years, from practising basic seamanship and communication evolution to multi-dimensional warfare scenarios.

“It has proven valuable for both navies.”

Task Group 632.1 for the exercise is led by Commander Task Group (CTG) Lieutenant Colonel (L) Khairil bin Haji Abdul Rahman, who is Commanding Officer of KDB Daruttaqwa, and Deputy CTG Lieutenant Commander Philip Draper, who is Commander Officer of HMAS Armidale.

The task group consists of HMAS Armidale of RAN while RBN consists of KDB Daruttaqwa and KDB Syafaat.

The exercise will feature both ashore and sea training activities.

The harbour training will cover theoretical subjects and the sharing of knowledge (on aspects such as exercise briefings and boarding demonstrations) among experts.

The sea phase activities aim to develop naval coordination in executing tactical operations including minefield transits, communication drills, surface tracking and maritime interdiction operations.

RAN Wing Commander Michael Cawley, Deputy Defence Advisor to Singapore and Brunei, activated Task Group 632.1 alongside Lt Col (L) Pengiran Mohammad. (Borneo Bulletin)