British Forces Brunei (BFB) delivered their inaugural Jungle Patrol Competition in October 23, which saw the Crown Prince of Brunei visit and present awards. This arduous and testing event arrives as UK Defence tilts towards the Indo-Pacific region.
Exercise Sunda Patrol saw 13 teams from across the British Army travel to Brunei to test their skills in jungle warfare, including survival, riverine operations, and close target reconnaissance. This year is the inaugural event and looks to build upon the success of the UK’s infamous exercise Cambrian Patrol, for the Indo-Pacific region. The Crown Prince’s visit, in addition to Defence Attaches from 10 countries, comes ahead of the first international iteration next year.
“It was an absolute honour to have His Majesty, The Crown Prince, with us, not just for those taking part but for all of us in the British Forces Brunei,” said Lieutenant Colonel Stanford-Tuck, Commanding Officer BFB. “We are excited about hopefully growing this competition next year. The soldiers here are a fully ready, regionally focussed task force able to respond to any call, wherever and whenever we are needed.”
The competition includes an eight-day acclimatisation phase, with thorough training on jungle warfare tactics by Jungle Warfare Instructors from the resident The First Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles (1 RGR). The main test phase is a 72-hour patrol for teams of eight people, across the tropical terrain of Brunei and is supported throughout by Puma helicopters from the Royal Air Force. The teams’ performance is assessed with prizes of Bronze, Silver, and Gold available to those who are tough enough.
“Operating effectively in the Close Country Tropical Environment is simply not easy,” said Major Som Thulung, competition organiser. “With the unique challenges presented by the Bruneian jungle, we believe Ex Sunda Patrol offers the toughest patrol competition available”.
For exercise SUNDA PATROL 23, a total of 10 teams completed the patrol with three receiving Gold, three receiving Silver and four receiving Bronze. The exercise will return at the same time next year, with team applications welcomed in due course.
Awards went to:
- Gold medals: 1 RGR (A Coy), 1 RGR (B Coy), 1 RGR (C Coy)
- Silver medals: 3 SCOTS (Team A), 2 SCOTS, 1 COLDM GDS (Team B)
- Bronze medals. 2 RIFLES (Team A), 2 RIFLES (Team B), 3 SCOTS (Team D), Light Dragoons
By Captain Pete Foster, The First Battalion, The Royal Gurkha Rifles.
