# Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces

The Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (Malay: Pemerintah Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei) is the professional head of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF). He is responsible for the overall management, administration, and the operational control of the entire military of Brunei. The current commander is Major general Dato Paduka Seri Haji Muhammad Haszaimi bin Bol Hassan.

## Early history

Lieutenant Colonel Tengku Ahmad bin Tengku Besar Barhanuddin, seconded from the Royal Malay Regiment, served as the first commanding officer of the Brunei Malay Regiment (BMR) from June 1961 to April 1964. He was followed by Lieutenant Colonel Donald Murray Fletcher, who became the first and last British officer commanding the regiment from April 1964 to May 1965 and later the first officer commanding the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (RBMR) until 25 July 1966. From 25 July 1966 until 1 March 1969, Major Henry Fairbridge Burrows (later Lieutenant Colonel) replaced him as Commander. On 1 March 1969, John Simpson was appointed to lead the RBMR, quickly promoted to Colonel and assumed control of the air and naval wings.
Colonel Bertram Francis Louis Rooney served as commander of the RBMR from 4 December 1971 to 18 July 1975, followed by Colonel Norman Roberts, who held the position from 18 July 1975 until 1982. Brigadier General John Friedberger succeeded Roberts, serving as the last British military commander of Brunei from 1982 until 1 January 1986. As the first local commander, 42-year-old Brigadier General Mohammad Daud ushered in a new era for the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF).

## Appointees

| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Term of office | Term of office | Term of office | Ref. |
| No. | Portrait | Name (birth–death) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Ref. |
| Brunei Malay Regiment |||||||
| 1 | | Lieutenant colonel Tunku Ahmad (1924–1999) | June 1961 | April 1964 | 2 years, 10 months | [16][3] [4] |
| 2 | | Lieutenant colonel Donald Murray Fletcher (1922–2010) | April 1964 | 31 May 1965 | 1 year, 1 month | |
| Royal Brunei Malay Regiment |||||||
| 1 | | Lieutenant colonel Donald Murray Fletcher (1922–2010) | 31 May 1965 | 25 July 1966 | 1 year, 55 days | |
| 2 | | Lieutenant colonel Henry Fairbridge Burrows (1923–2015) | 25 July 1966 | 1 March 1969 | 2 years, 219 days | [17][18] [6] |
| 3 | | Colonel John Simpson (1927–2007) | 1 March 1969 | 4 December 1971 | 2 years, 278 days | [8][7] [10] |
| 4 | | Colonel Bertram Francis Louis Rooney (1922–2018) | 4 December 1971 | 18 July 1975 | 3 years, 226 days | [9][10] [11] |
| 5 | | Colonel Norman Roberts (1922–2018) | 18 July 1975 | 1982 | 6–7 years | |
| 6 | | Brigadier general John Friedberger (born 1937) | 1982 | 1 January 1986 | 3–4 years | |
| Royal Brunei Armed Forces |||||||
| 1 | | Major general Mohammad Daud (born 1943) | 1 January 1986 | 9 August 1990 | 4 years, 220 days | [19][13] [20] |
| 2 | | Major general Sulaiman Damit (1941–2016) | 10 August 1990 | 29 September 1994 | 4 years, 50 days | |
| 3 | | Major general Husin Ahmad (born 1944) | 30 September 1994 | 29 September 1997 | 2 years, 364 days | |
| 4 | | Major general Pengiran Abidin | 30 September 1997 | 3 July 1999 | 1 year, 276 days | |
| 5 | | Major general Shari Ahmad | 31 August 1999 | 2 April 2001 | 1 year, 214 days | |
| 6 | | Major general Jaafar Abdul Aziz | 2 April 2001 | 27 March 2003 | 1 year, 359 days | |
| 7 | | Major general Halbi Mohammad Yussof (born 1956) | 28 March 2003 | 31 December 2009 | 6 years, 278 days | [23][25] [26][27] |
| 8 | | Major general Aminuddin Ihsan (born 1966) | 31 December 2009 | 29 January 2014 | 4 years, 29 days | [26][27] [28] |
| 9 | | Major general Tawih Abdullah (born 1964) | 30 January 2014 | 31 January 2018 | 4 years, 1 day | [25][29] [30] |
| 10 | | Major general Pengiran Aminan | 31 January 2018 | 1 September 2020 | 2 years, 214 days | [30][31] [32][33] |
| 11 | | Major general Hamzah Sahat | 1 September 2020 | 1 March 2022 | 1 year, 181 days | |
| 12 | | Major general Haszaimi Bol Hassan | 1 March 2022 | Incumbent | 2 years, 304 days | |