TANAH JAMBU, Tuesday, 13 January 2026 – The opening ceremony of the Command and Staff Course (CSC) 16/2026 was held today at the Auditorium of the Defence Academy, Royal Brunei Armed Forces (DA RBAF), Kampung Tanah Jambu.
Present as the Guest of Honour to officiate the ceremony was Yang Mulia Major General Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan, Commander of the RBAF.
Also in attendance were Dr Haji Noor Azam bin Orang Kaya Maha Bijaya Haji Professor Othman, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), members of the RBAF Executive Committee, Representatives from foreign missions in Brunei Darussalam, Representative from the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF), Defence Advisers and Defence Attachés accredited to Brunei Darussalam.
The ceremony commenced with the recitation of Surah Al-Fatihah and verses 60–66 of Surah Al- Anfal, led by a representative of the course participants, Major Pengiran Haji Abdul Malik bin Pengiran Dato Paduka Haji Azmansham. This was followed by opening remarks delivered by the Guest of Honour and the flag unfurling ceremony of the participating countries. The unfurling of the flag ceremony symbolises the spirit of close cooperation and mutual understanding among the participating nations, underscoring the importance of fostering strong friendships and professional networks throughout the duration of the course.
A total of 39 officers are participating in this year’s course, comprising 20 RBAF officers, one officer from the Ministry of Defence, one officer from the Royal Brunei Police Force, and 17 international military officers representing 13 countries, namely the Kingdom of Bahrain, the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, the People's Republic of China, the Republic of Indonesia, the Republic of India, the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, Malaysia, the Sultanate of Oman, the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, the Republic of the Philippines, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Singapore and the Kingdom of Thailand.
The RBAF Command and Staff Course 16/2026, now in its 16th iteration, is a 46-week programme designed to enhance participants' professional and academic competencies in understanding and addressing the contemporary strategic environment and its implications for defence and security. The course is delivered in collaboration with UBD, which has served as its main academic provider for the past seven years.
Upon completion of the course, successful participants will be awarded the post-nominal “Passed Staff Course (Joint)” [‘psc (j)’] qualification by the DA RBAF, as well as the Master of Defence and Security Studies degree by UBD.
