Introduction
How is the Military in Brunei and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) or Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB): Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), Royal Brunei Navy (RBN), Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) (2025).
In Brunei, the Royal Brunei Armed Forces were formed in 1961 with British support as the Brunei Malay Regiment; "Royal" was added as an honorary title in 1965 and its current name was given in 1984; the military is responsible for ensuring the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as countering outside aggression, terrorism, and insurgency
Brunei has a long-standing defense relationship with the UK and hosts a British Army garrison, which includes a Gurkha battalion and a jungle warfare school; Brunei also hosts a Singaporean military training detachment (2024)
Brunei has a long-standing defense relationship with the UK and hosts a British Army garrison, which includes a Gurkha battalion and a jungle warfare school; Brunei also hosts a Singaporean military training detachment (2024)
Security and military information of Brunei
| Military and security service personnel strengths | approximately 8,000 total active-duty troops (2024) |
|---|---|
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the military's s inventory includes equipment and weapons systems from a wide variety of suppliers from Asia, Europe, and the US (2024) |
| Military service age and obligation | 17 years of age for voluntary military service; non-Malays are ineligible to serve (2024). note: the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU) employs hundreds of Gurkhas from Nepal, the majority of whom are veterans of the British Army and the Singapore Police Force who have joined the GRU as a second career |
| Military deployments | . |
| Military expenditures | |
| Military Expenditures 2023 | 3% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2022 | 2.6% of GDP (2022 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2021 | 3.1% of GDP (2021 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2020 | 3.7% of GDP (2020 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2019 | 3.1% of GDP (2019 est.) |
All Important Facts about Brunei
Want to know more about Brunei? Check all different factbooks for Brunei below.
