Brunei Military - 2023

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Royal Brunei Armed Forces: Land Force, Navy, Air Force, Joint Force

Ministry of Home Affairs: Royal Brunei Police Force (2023)

note: the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU) under the Ministry of Defense is a special guard force for the Sultan, the royal family, and the country’s oil installations

Military expenditures

3.1% of GDP (2021 est.)

3.7% of GDP (2020 est.)

3.1% of GDP (2019 est.)

2.7% of GDP (2018 est.)

2.8% of GDP (2017 est.)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 6,000 total active troops (4,000 Army; 1,000 Navy; 1,000 Air Force) (2022)

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 (2023)

Military service age and obligation

17 years of age for voluntary military service; non-Malays are ineligible to serve (2022)

note: the Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU) employs about 500 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 - note

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 a small and professional force responsible for ensuring the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as countering outside aggression, terrorism, and insurgency; the Army is comprised of a few infantry battalions and an armored reconnaissance squadron, while the Navy has several corvettes and patrol vessels for monitoring the country’s territorial waters; the small Air Force does not have any combat aircraft, but operates some maritime patrol aircraft and helicopters 

Brunei has a long-standing defense relationship with the United Kingdom and hosts a British Army garrison, which includes a Gurkha battalion and a jungle warfare school; Brunei also hosts a Singaporean military training base (2023)

NOTE: The information regarding Brunei on this page is re-published from the 2023 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Brunei 2023 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Brunei 2023 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.