Their friendship is one of many forged between servicemen and women from Singapore and Brunei over decades of military cooperation. This year marks the 50th anniversary of defence ties between the two countries, with Singapore’s Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visiting Brunei to commemorate the milestone.
Mr Wong, who is also finance minister, and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah attended a joint parade at Muara Naval Base on Saturday (Oct 10), featuring 256 personnel and operational assets from the land, naval and air forces of both armed forces.
The parade was a key milestone in a year-long series of activities commemorating the 50th anniversary, including bilateral exercises across all three services and new areas of cooperation, the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) said in a news release.
The Singapore-Brunei relations stretch back to the early years of both armed forces. The Royal Brunei Armed Forces was established in 1961, followed by the SAF in 1965, with formal defence relations established in 1976.
Singapore’s first Chief of Defence Force, retired Lieutenant-General Winston Choo, had also trained alongside many leaders from Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
“These early professional and personal ties laid strong foundations for bilateral defence relations and have endured across generations,” MINDEF said.
“A NATURAL EXTENSION”
Five decades on, that spirit of camaraderie continues through servicemen such as LTC Shahreel from Singapore and MAJ Afifi from Brunei.
The pair caught up when LTC Shahreel’s unit trained in Brunei earlier this year, and again when MAJ Afifi visited Singapore for the Shangri-La Dialogue, Asia’s premier defence forum.
Their meetings often involve a good meal, reminiscing about their Command and Staff College days and exchanging stories about work challenges.
LTC Shahreel has visited Brunei more than 10 times since his first trip as an officer cadet in 2008. But it was only this year that he had the opportunity to interact with Bruneians beyond MAJ Afifi.
Having heard his friend’s stories over the years, he found the experience familiar and seamless.
For both men, the biggest takeaway was the value of having a good friend and counterpart on the other side. LTC Shahreel said he was inspired by how well-read and well-travelled his friend is, and his willingness to share and learn.
MAJ Afifi in turn values LTC Shahreel’s humility and sincerity. These qualities, he said, keep him open to different perspectives regardless of rank or experience, while building the trust needed for honest conversations and strong relationships.
The men see their friendship as a “natural extension of the strong relationship” between the two armies and hope more servicemen will forge lasting friendships like theirs.