Chan Chun Sing meets Brunei leaders and SAF troops on inaugural visit to kingdom

SINGAPORE – Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing met Brunei leaders and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) officer cadets on his first official visit to the neighbouring South-east Asian kingdom.

During the two-day trip that began on Aug 22, Mr Chan met members of Brunei’s ruling family, and had an audience with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, during which they reaffirmed the importance of the special relationship between the two countries, and their bilateral defence ties.

He thanked the Sultan for

attending Singapore’s 60th National Day Parade

, and they both touched on the need for the two countries to continue working closely together, Mindef said on Aug 23.

In an audience with Crown Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, both leaders reaffirmed the close ties between Singapore and Brunei, and looked forward to the Young Leaders’ Programme to be held in Brunei later in 2025. 

Mr Chan also met his counterpart Halbi Yussof, and discussed bilateral defence cooperation between the two countries.

The two ministers reaffirmed a commitment to building strong people-to-people ties, and noted the successful conclusion of the recent Singapore-Brunei Junior Defence Interaction programme, in which 20 young officers from both nations took part.

They also discussed the close cooperation between both countries at regional platforms, such as the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting, and emphasised the need for Singapore and Brunei to work closely amid the ongoing geopolitical situation.

Mr Chan’s visit, Mindef said, underscored the “close and longstanding” defence ties between Singapore and Brunei, with 2026 marking the 50th anniversary of defence relations.

Mr Chan also visited the Temburong training camp on Aug 23 and met SAF officer cadets who were undergoing a confidence course. He was accompanied by Major-General Cai Dexian, who is Chief of Army, and other senior officers.

Brunei’s terrain is unlike Singapore’s, and provides an invaluable training experience to mould cadets into capable leaders, Mindef said in its statement.

Speaking to the cadets, Mr Chan said: “Hardly any military sends their soldiers with less than six months’ experience to train in the jungle. For us to send them for a jungle confidence course in Temburong to survive out on their own for nine days speaks volume of the quality of our training and safety system, and our confidence in it.”

Correction note: An earlier version of the story said that the 2025 Young Leaders’ Programme will take place in Singapore, instead of Brunei. This has been corrected. We are sorry for the error.