ISTANA NURUL IMAN, Wednesday, 21 February 2018 – 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; Minister of Defence; and the Supreme Commander of Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), today received in audience His Excellency Admiral Harry Binkley Harris Jr., Commander of the United States Pacific Command (USPACOM).
Present at the ceremony were Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Retired) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd. Yussof, Second Minister of Defence; Major General Pengiran Dato Seri Pahlawan Aminan bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF); and His Excellency Craig Boyd Allen, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the United States of America to Brunei Darussalam.
Defence and military cooperation between Brunei Darussalam and the United States was cemented through the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding on Defence Cooperation on 29th November 1994. The bilateral cooperation encompasses professional exchanges, training and exercises.
At the Multilateral Level, exchanges were conducted through interactions in Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT), Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) and the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-Plus). The CARAT is an annual exercise conducted between Brunei Darussalam and the United States. The 23rd CARAT was held in November 2017 and the 24th Exercise in the series is expected in October this year.
KEBAWAH DULI YANG MAHA MULIA PADUKA SERI BAGINDA SULTAN DAN YANG DI-PERTUAN NEGARA BRUNEI DARUSSALAM BERKENAN MENERIMA MENGADAP PANGLIMA USPACOM
ISTANA NURUL IMAN, Rabu, 21 Februari 2018 – Kebawah Duli Yang Maha Mulia Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan dan Yang Di-Pertuan Negara Brunei Darussalam; Menteri Pertahanan;dan Pemerintah Tertinggi Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB) berkenan menerima mengadap Tuan Yang Terutama Laksamana Harry Binkley Harris Jr., Panglima United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) di Istana Nurul Iman.
Hadir pada majlis tersebut ialah Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Mejar Jeneral (Bersara) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd. Yussof, Menteri Pertahanan Kedua; Mejar Jeneral Pengiran Dato Seri Pahlawan Aminan bin Pengiran Haji Mahmud, Pemerintah Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB); dan Tuan Yang Terutama Craig Boyd Allen, Duta Besar Istimewa dan Mutlak Amerika Syarikat ke Negara Brunei Darussalam.
Kerjasama yang erat dalam bidang pertahanan dan ketenteraan di antara Negara Brunei Darussalam dan Amerika Syarikat telah lama dijalin melalui penandatanganan Memorandum Persefahaman dalam kerjasama pertahanan pada 29 November 1994.
Kedua belah pihak telah mengekalkan hubungan dalam peringkat dua hala terutamanya melalui pertukaran professional, latihan dan eksesais. Manakala di peringkat pelbagai hala pertukaran diadakan melalui interaksi dalam Southeast Asia Cooperation and Training (SEACAT), Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) dan Mesyuarat Menteri-Menteri Pertahanan ASEAN dan Negara Plus (ADMM-Plus). Eksesais CARAT merupakan eksesais yang diadakan pada setiap tahun di antara Negara Brunei Darussalam dan Amerika Syarikat. Pada November 2017, Eksesais CARAT ke-23 telah diadakan di Negara Brunei Darussalam, dan latihan siri yang ke-24 dijangka akan berlangsung pada bulan Oktober tahun ini.