Brunei opens its Defence Attaché Office in Washington

BRUNEI and the United States are set to further strengthen their defence relations following the establishment of the Defence Attaché Office at the Embassy of Brunei in Washington, DC.

Brunei's first defence attaché to the US, Colonel (U) Mohd Sharif Dato Paduka Hj Ibrahim, stated that the official opening of the Defence Attaché Office in Washington, DC, on June 28 "marked a significant event in the history of the Ministry of Defence (MinDef)".

The official opening was witnessed by representatives from the US Department of Defence and US Department of State alongside defence attachés, including those from ASEAN-member countries.

According to Brunei's ambassador to the US, His Excellency Dato Paduka Hj Yussof Hj Abd Hamid, plans to establish the Defence Attaché Office was announced by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince during his visit to Washington, DC, in September last year. In his remarks at the official opening, the ambassador highlighted the potential areas for greater bilateral cooperation in Brunei-US defence relations.

He noted there has been an increase in defence acquisition with the contract signing for 12 Blackhawk helicopters in December last year, as well as a recent uptake in the number of military personnel attending courses in the US.

"The recent signing of an Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) has further strengthened ties by promoting interoperability and a mechanism for better logistics support," he added.

Brigadier General Joaquin Malavet, the principal director for South and South East Asia at Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence's Office, commented that the opening of the office is "yet another milestone" in defence ties between Brunei and the US.

Speaking at the official opening, the guest of honour stated that the US is looking forward to Brunei's chairmanship of ASEAN in 2013.

He also conveyed that the US is in support of Brunei's hosting of the first ASEAN Defence Ministers' Meeting (ADMM)-Plus Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR)/Military Medicine (MM) Exercise next year.

According to MinDef, talks are under way between the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defence's Office and USPACOM concerning support for the upcoming HADR/MM Exercise. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed in November 1994 to increase defence cooperation between Brunei and the US, followed by the opening of Brunei's embassy in Washington, DC, in March 1984. The Brunei Times