Brunei’s Prince Mateen visits SAF Special Operations Task Force

Brunei’s Prince Abdul Mateen on board the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s H225M medium-lift helicopter during his visit to Singapore Armed Forces’ Special Operations Task Force in Singapore on Oct 23.

Published Oct 23, 2026, 07:45 PM

Updated Oct 23, 2026, 07:45 PM

SINGAPORE – Brunei’s Prince Abdul Mateen visited the Singapore Armed Forces’ (SAF) Special Operations Task Force on Oct 23 during an official visit to Singapore.

The Prince was briefed on the SAF’s special operations capabilities by the Special Operations Task Force and the Special Operations Aviation Task Group, said the Defence Ministry (MINDEF) on Oct 23.

During his visit, he also observed Special Operations Task Force operators responding to a counter-terrorism scenario and flew in the Republic of Singapore Air Force’s H225M medium-lift helicopter, it added.

Mateen was hosted by Acting Minister-in-charge of Muslim Affairs and Senior Minister of State for Defence Zaqy Mohamad for the visit.

The Prince was in Singapore from Oct 21 to 23 at the invitation of Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan. This was his first official visit to Singapore since he became Brunei’s foreign minister in June .

His visit comes after Singapore and Brunei recently reaffirmed 50 years of defence ties with a joint parade in Brunei on Oct 10 that was attended by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Brunei’s Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah.

The Prince’s visit builds on the momentum of high-level exchanges between Singapore and Brunei, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) on Oct 23.

PM Wong said Singapore and Brunei share a special and longstanding friendship built on deep mutual trust and understanding.

“We will build on this legacy to deepen our cooperation, strengthen the ties between our peoples, and take our partnership forward for generations to come,” he wrote in a Facebook post on Oct 23.

There have been a series of visits by leaders from both sides, including Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s trip to Brunei for the Sultan’s 80th birthday celebrations in July , during which the two nations reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral ties.

Singapore and Brunei also signed a supply chain resilience pact on Oct 12 to ensure the flow of essential items like crude oil, food and medical supplies during crises.

Earlier in his trip, Mateen met Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing on Oct 21. MINDEF said both leaders reaffirmed the importance of continued bilateral defence engagement and discussed opportunities to deepen the countries’ defence cooperation.

In a social media post on Oct 21, Chan said both leaders had a good discussion on how to collaborate not only in defence but also in other areas that benefit their countries.

Such regular interactions and shared experiences continue to bring Singaporeans and Bruneians closer together and strengthen the longstanding friendship between both sides, added Chan.

While in Singapore, Mateen also called on President Tharman Shanmugaratnam and PM Wong and met Balakrishnan. He was hosted to lunch by SM Lee on Oct 21 .

The Prince also attended an industry roundtable with Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu, where participants exchanged perspectives on business and investment opportunities in Singapore and Brunei, said MFA.

Mateen’s itinerary included a briefing on Singapore’s AI strategy by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI).

MDDI’s Minister Josephine Teo said in an Oct 23 social media post that both leaders had a wide-ranging discussion on artificial intelligence and digital infrastructure, which are central to their nations’ digital strategies.

Wong Yang is a journalist who covers politics and policy.

10月23日，文莱王子阿卜杜勒·马丁在访问新加坡武装部队特种作战部队期间，乘坐新加坡共和国空军的H225M中型运输直升机。

发布于 2026 年 10 月 23 日晚上 7:45

更新于2026年10月23日晚上7:45

新加坡——10月23日，文莱王子阿卜杜勒·马丁在对新加坡进行正式访问期间，参观了新加坡武装部队特种作战部队。

国防部（MINDEF）于10月23日表示，王子听取了特种作战特遣队和特种作战航空特遣队关于新加坡武装部队特种作战能力的简报。

声明还补充说，访问期间，他还观摩了特种作战部队人员应对反恐行动，并乘坐了新加坡空军的H225M中型运输直升机。

马丁此次访问由代理穆斯林事务部长兼国防部高级国务部长扎基·穆罕默德接待。

王子于10月21日至23日应新加坡外交部长维文·巴拉克里希南的邀请访问新加坡。这是他自6月就任文莱外交部长以来首次正式访问新加坡。

在他访问之前，新加坡和文莱最近于10月10日在文莱举行联合阅兵式，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。

外交部于10月23日表示，王子的访问延续了新加坡和文莱之间高层交流的良好势头。

黄英贤总理表示，新加坡和文莱之间有着特殊而长久的友谊，这种友谊建立在深厚的互信和理解之上。

“我们将以此为基石，深化合作，加强两国人民之间的联系，并将我们的伙伴关系延续到子孙后代，”他在10月23日的一篇Facebook帖子中写道。

双方领导人进行了一系列互访，包括李显龙高级部长7月访问文莱参加苏丹80岁生日庆典，期间两国重申了加强双边关系的承诺。

新加坡和文莱于 10 月 12 日签署了一项供应链韧性协议，以确保在危机期间原油、食品和医疗用品等必需品的流通。

在访问期间，马丁于10月21日会见了国防部长陈振声。国防部表示，两位领导人重申了继续开展双边防务合作的重要性，并探讨了深化两国防务合作的机会。

10月21日，陈在社交媒体上发帖称，两国领导人就如何在国防以及其他有利于两国的领域开展合作进行了良好的讨论。

陈先生补充说，这种定期的互动和共同的经历不断拉近新加坡人和文莱人的距离，并加强了双方之间的长期友谊。

在新加坡期间，马丁还拜会了总统尚达曼和总理黄之锋，并会见了巴拉克里希南。10月21日，他应邀在李显龙总理府共进午餐。

外交部表示，王子还与新加坡可持续发展与环境部长傅海燕出席了一场行业圆桌会议，与会者就新加坡和文莱的商业和投资机会交换了意见。

马丁的行程包括听取新加坡数字发展与新闻部 (MDDI) 关于新加坡人工智能战略的简报。

MDDI部长Josephine Teo在10月23日的社交媒体帖子中表示，两位领导人就人工智能和数字基础设施进行了广泛的讨论，这两项技术对两国的数字战略至关重要。

黄阳是一位报道政治和政策的记者。