Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam, Scholarship - Experiences of MINDEF & RBAF Scholars

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Experiences of MINDEF & RBAF Scholars

Friday, 01 December 2006

“… being a MINDEF and RBAF scholar is more than that”

Scholars on board Missile Gun Boat

Imagine part of your everyday work was to fly in Black Hawk choppers, ride in Scorpions, sail on navy ships, and handle state-of-the-art weaponry. Working can be dreary, but certainly not in the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF). We know this for a fact because we are this year's recipients of the Supreme Commander and RBAF scholarships, and these are our experiences based on our on-going working attachment at MINDEF and RBAF (from May to August 2006).

Within just one month, we have visited all the 10 directorates of MINDEF including the Directorate of Intelligence and the Directorate of Operations. We have also gained plenty of first-hand working experience through individual attachments at specific MINDEF directorates relevant to our respective degree courses.

In addition, the Office of Strategic Management of MINDEF, which manages all our working activities, has given us the opportunity to learn from the best by introducing us to influential people from all over the world. So far, we have had dynamic interactions with delegates from the Singapore Armed Forces including the Director and former Director of Intelligence, the Deputy Under-Secretary of U.S. Defence, and the Australian Ambassador and Vice U.S. Ambassador to Brunei. Thus, we have been exposed greatly to issues within various fields such as financial and personal management, foreign policies, and current world issues.

Scholars briefed on Training Institute Organisation

Our recent visits to RBAF, namely the Land, Navy and Air Forces, has definitely been one of the biggest highlights for us. The Royal Brunei Land Forces gave us an impressive hands-on display of their Scorpions, tanks, radio equipment, and artillery including firearms and missiles. Best of all was a live counter-riot demonstration performed by soldiers from the First Battalion of the Land Forces. On the other hand, the Royal Brunei Navy took us all out to sea in one of their armed ships to show us how they normally man it and conduct exercises with other vessels. We also went for a terrific helicopter ride organised by the Royal Brunei Air Force in a striking Black Hawk that made so many unexpected and hair-raising manoeuvers, enough to beat any roller-coaster ride. Military life has never looked this good to us, and we look forward to learning more about the military environment during our coming 2-week working attachment to each of the forces within RBAF.

Scholars trying out an M16 Rifle

On the 31st of May 2006, we witnessed the 45th Anniversary of RBAF. On top of seeing spectacular performances such as parachuting stunts and 'search and rescue' demonstrations, we had a moment of realization when His Majesty the Sultan mentioned our significance in the future plans of MINDEF and RBAF in his Titah. We realised that although we feel honoured and privileged, we must remember that we carry great responsibility as scholars, and that we still have a long way to go to fulfill that responsibility.

Fridays are always special for us because every morning, we get to share our experiences during our attachment with the Deputy Minister of MINDEF at the Bolkiah Executive Centre, who makes time to communicate with us on a regular basis. A popular discussion during this time would be regarding the books we are currently reading, some of the books recommended by the Deputy Minister himself, and others from our assigned reading list. In the afternoon, we have sports activities whereby we always have the best time bonding with each other and basically having pure fun, whether we are hiking at Bukit Shahbandar, wearing ourselves out at the MINDEF gym, playing netball and volleyball, or even jogging in the rain. No matter how hard the task is, we say 'bring it on' because stepping out of our comfort zone is not only a test of endurance, but also an essential part of developing ourselves into all-rounded characters.

With exciting activities lined up for us, such as first-aid courses, AppleMac camps and survival tests in Belalong, we only have one thing to say: Scrape the surface of the Supreme Commander and RBAF Scholarships, and you will see more than just money and a degree, because being a MINDEF and RBAF scholar is more than that; it is an adventure, a quest for knowledge of all kinds, and frankly, it's the thrill of a lifetime.

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