The Acting Commandant of the DA RBAF, Lieutenant Colonel (U) Azmie Iskandar bin Ariffin, was welcomed as the Guest of Honour by the Chairman of this year's celebration event, Lieutenant Commander Mohammad Khairul Anuar bin Abdullah, Royal Brunei Navy. Senior officers, officers, military and civilian personnel of the DA RBAF were also present.
The event began with the recital of Surah Al-Fatihah, which was followed by the Acting Commandant’s speech, in which he reflected on the academy’s journey and achievements over the past 11 years since its inception, as well as the way forward. He also highlighted that despite facing the challenging environment due to the second-wave of COVID-19 outbreak, the academy has been able to deliver training and courses effectively by embracing digital technology. This clearly demonstrated DA RBAF's adaptability and resilience in the face of the new norm.
The Acting Commandant hoped that the Defence Academy will continue to work harder to achieve its vision and mission of becoming a ‘World Class Professional Military Institution’ and to realise the DA RBAF Strategic Plan 2035, as we are adapting and embracing changes in the new norm. He also
emphasised the importance of training and education as important factors in building a capable, well-prepared and effective armed force as laid out in the 2021 Defence White Paper.
In addition, he urged all personnel to continue to actively pursue new strategies to adapt to the current and future conditions.
The Acting Commandant also conveyed his utmost appreciation and thanks to DA
RBAF personnel who have and are currently serving the government’s whole-of-nation approach to effectively put the second-wave of COVID-19 outbreak under control. These personnel's unwavering courage, invaluable dedication, and sacrifices should be commended.
The event continued with the DA RBAF’s yearly anniversary tradition of presenting recognition awards to personnel who had displayed excellent performance in their duties and made great contributions to the organisation for the year 2021. This year’s award for
Senior Non-Commissioned Officers category went to
Staff Sergeant Mohammad Royzi bin Rosli, while
Lance Corporal Mohammad Azreen bin Aspar took the award for
Junior Non-Commissioned Officers category.
Before the event ended, videos showcased DA RBAF’s past activities and achievements and the officiating of new names for five roads within the DA RBAF Camp were shown. The ceremony concluded with the recitation of Thanksgiving Prayer by the Defence Academy’s Religious Teacher, Ustaz Abdul Nasir bin Hassan.
