HISTORY OF JFHQ

Before JFHQ was established, it was known as The Royal Brunei Armed Forces Joint Operations Command (RBAF JOC) in order to integrate the RBAF assets assigned for any particular military operations or exercises. Since its inception for a major joint exercise in 1997, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Joint Operations Centre (JOC) has been the centre of Command & Control (C2) in employing, monitoring and coordinating RBAF operations. 

The increase in the responsibilities for JOC is in line with the growing commitments of the RBAF.  The emphasis of JOC was to integrate all forces assigned for any particular military operation or activity under a single unified command to exercise C2.  Along with other developments in the RBAF, better understanding on the importance of JOC functions especially in joint operations there is a need to improve the JOC further so as to comply with the Defence White Paper Update 2007 - Shaping The Force TODAY (DWP Update 2007).

There is a realisation for the JOC to be upgraded to become a Joint Force Headquarters which will have its permanent staff to conduct Joint Planning and execute the operations thus providing a unity of Command and Control form the JOC in the JFHQ. With the increasing RBAF commitments and continuous and longer operations the present JOC is effective because it did not have the permanent staff and they were not properly trained.

As our understanding of the functions of the JOC improved and the expectations grew the realisation for the fundamental principles of JOC nevertheless needs to be revised.  This is not only to fulfil the Vision as set out in the DWP Update 2007 but also to ensure that we are able to function more effectively, taking advantage of technology available, in order to respond swiftly to any developing situation as a defence force. 

This new dimension for the RBAF to undertake requires some reorganisation to establish a permanent Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ).  The JFHQ will have to have a full staff function to conduct Joint Planning up to executing the Joint Operations, commanding the assigned force from the JOC.  The JOC will be manned round the clock to monitor all military activities that are being undertaken by the RBAF besides the expectation to be ready to respond to any larger scale military operations.

All of these, it led to the establishment of Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) on 14 December 2007 where the main building was located at the second level of the Ministry of Defence Building in Bolkiah Garisson.