Singapore, Brunei marks 50 years of defence ties with joint parade

PM Lawrence Wong and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah at the joint parade in Brunei on Oct 10.

Published Oct 10, 2026, 07:40 PM

Updated Oct 10, 2026, 07:40 PM

SINGAPORE - Singapore and Brunei reaffirmed 50 years of defence ties with a joint parade at the Muara Naval Base in Brunei on Oct 10.

The parade, which was attended by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, featured 256 personnel and operational assets from land, naval and air forces across the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF).

A sail-past by the Republic of Singapore Navy and Royal Brunei Navy, as well as a fly-past by two of the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s H225M Medium Lift helicopters and three of the RBAF’s S-70i Blackhawk helicopters, took place during the parade.

Many of the participating personnel had taken part in bilateral exercises before the parade, the Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Oct 10.

Other guests at the parade were Singapore’s Minister for Defence Chan Chun Sing and Chief of Defence Force Vice-Admiral Aaron Beng, as well as Brunei’s Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office, Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (MG) (Ret) Dato Paduka Seri Awang Haji Halbi Bin Haji Mohd Yussof and Commander of the RBAF MG Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan.

In a Facebook post on Oct 10, PM Wong said: “Singapore deeply values our special friendship with Brunei Darussalam. As we celebrate how far we have come together, I look forward to continuing to strengthen these ties between our countries in the years ahead.”

He said the joint parade brought together personnel and assets from both countries and across the Army, Navy and Air Force, reflecting the strong bonds that were built over the past five decades through training and working alongside one another.

After the parade, PM Wong and the Sultan launched and toured a commemorative gallery featuring key milestones in the countries’ bilateral defence relationship over the past 50 years.

PM Wong also met SAF personnel training in Temburong, where he interacted with servicemen and engaged them on their training experiences.

PM Lawrence Wong (right) and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing (in black) meeting SAF personnel training in Temburong. PHOTO: MDDI

PM Lawrence Wong (right) and Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing (in black) meeting SAF personnel training in Temburong.

The parade marks a key milestone in a year-long series of activities commemorating the Golden Jubilee, including bilateral exercises that “reflect both sides’ commitment to further strengthen the defence relationship in the years ahead”, MINDEF said.

This will culminate in a closing dinner hosted by Brunei in Singapore on Nov 21. Looking ahead, both countries will build on “five decades of mutual trust and close cooperation”, identify new areas where both sides can bring value to each other and create opportunities for successive generations of personnel to further strengthen ties.

PM Wong’s trip to Brunei comes about a week after Brunei Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah met PM Wong during an official visit to Singapore that ended on Oct 2 .

During the five-day visit, Billah also met President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong and Deputy Prime Minister Gan Kim Yong, among other officials.

In July, Singapore and Brunei reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties when SM Lee visited the South-east Asian state for the Sultan’s 80th birthday celebrations.

Both countries said then that they would explore ways to deepen bilateral cooperation across a wide range of areas, including energy and food security, supply chain resilience and people-to-people exchanges.

In 2027, the two countries will also mark the 60th anniversary of the Currency Interchangeability Agreement , which allows the Brunei and Singapore currencies to be used interchangeably in both countries.

Isabelle Liew is a journalist at The Straits Times. She covers housing issues in Singapore, with a focus on public housing.

10月10日，印度总理黄循财和文莱苏丹哈桑纳尔·博尔基亚在文莱参加联合阅兵式。

发布于2026年10月10日晚上7:40

更新于2026年10月10日晚上7:40

新加坡——10月10日，新加坡和文莱在文莱穆阿拉海军基地举行联合阅兵式，重申了两国50年的防务关系。

新加坡总理黄循财和文莱苏丹哈桑纳尔·博尔基亚出席了阅兵式，新加坡武装部队（SAF）和文莱皇家武装部队（RBAF）的陆军、海军和空军共出动了256名人员和作战装备。

阅兵式期间，新加坡共和国海军和文莱皇家海军进行了航行表演，新加坡共和国空军的两架 H225M 中型运输直升机和文莱皇家空军的三架 S-70i 黑鹰直升机进行了飞行表演。

国防部在10月10日的一份声明中表示，许多参加阅兵式的人员在阅兵式前都参加过双边演习。

出席阅兵式的其他嘉宾包括新加坡国防部长陈振声和国防军总司令亚伦·明中将，以及文莱总理府部长杨·贝尔霍末·佩欣·达图·莱拉拉惹少将（退役）拿督帕杜卡·斯里·阿旺·哈吉·哈尔比·本·哈吉·莫哈末·尤索夫和皇家空军司令拿督·帕杜卡·斯里·哈吉·穆罕默德哈扎伊米·本·博尔·哈桑。

黄之锋总理10月10日在脸书上发文称：“新加坡非常珍视与文莱达鲁萨兰国的特殊友谊。在我们共同庆祝取得的成就之际，我期待在未来几年继续加强我们两国之间的联系。”

他表示，此次联合阅兵式汇集了来自两国以及陆军、海军和空军的人员和装备，体现了过去五十年来通过共同训练和并肩作战建立起来的牢固关系。

阅兵式结束后，黄英贤总理和苏丹共同为纪念馆揭幕并参观了该纪念馆，该纪念馆展示了两国过去50年双边防务关系中的重要里程碑。

黄总理还在淡布隆会见了正在接受训练的新加坡武装部队人员，与官兵们进行了交流，了解了他们的训练经历。

总理黄循财（右）和国防部长陈振声（身穿黑色衣服）在淡布隆会见正在接受训练的新加坡武装部队人员。照片：MDDI

总理黄循财（右）和国防部长陈振声（身穿黑衣）在淡布隆会见正在接受训练的新加坡武装部队人员。

国防部表示，此次阅兵式标志着为期一年的金禧纪念系列活动的一个重要里程碑，其中包括“体现双方致力于在未来几年进一步加强防务关系”的双边演习。

此次会晤将于11月21日在新加坡由文莱主办的闭幕晚宴上达到高潮。展望未来，两国将以“五十年来的互信与密切合作”为基础，寻找双方可以互惠互利的新领域，并为一代又一代人员创造机会，进一步加强彼此间的联系。

黄之锋总理访问文莱大约一周前，文莱王储哈吉·穆赫塔迪·比拉在10月2日结束的对新加坡的正式访问期间会见了黄之锋总理。

在为期五天的访问中，比拉还与其他官员会见了总统尚达曼、高级部长李显龙和副总理颜金勇。

7月，新加坡和文莱重申了加强双边关系的承诺。李显龙总理访问这个东南亚国家，参加苏丹80岁生日庆典。

两国当时表示，将探索深化在能源和粮食安全、供应链韧性以及人文交流等广泛领域的双边合作。

2027年，两国还将迎来货币互换协议签署60周年纪念日，该协议允许文莱和新加坡货币在两国互换使用。

Isabelle Liew是《海峡时报》的记者，主要报道新加坡的住房问题，尤其关注公共住房。