British soldiers along with teams from from the United States, Australia, Singapore and Malaysia gathered to train and compete at the Brunei Jungle Warfare Skills Meet which is organised by the Royal Bruneian Land Force (RBLF) and British Forces Brunei (BFB).
This event brings together 18 teams from six different nations for a period of 10 days dedicated to acclimatization and training in jungle warfare, culminating in a jungle patrolling competition set in the Bruneian rainforest. The initiative aims to strengthen relationships among regional defence partners while providing them with a valuable opportunity to enhance and solidify their military capabilities.
It included demonstrations by instructors from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1RGR) which encompass various jungle warfare skills, including the trapping and preparation of game for culinary purposes, locating fresh water sources, constructing both temporary and permanent shelters, and the methods for igniting cooking fires and preparing game. The soldiers had the chance to taste chicken that had been cooked underground using wood embers, along with an assortment of bush foods, which included mealworms and jungle bananas.
1RGR also demonstrated their section attack drills in a situation in which a small reconnaissance patrol comes under effective enemy fire and needs to withdraw quickly rather than engaging and then fighting through the enemy position. An added complication is that, for safety reasons, the international teams are using the United Kingdom’s SA80 L85A3 rifle rather than their usual personal weapons, which has meant additional familiarisation training for them.
