His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah, the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, graced the Sovereign’s Parade at the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) Defence Academy in Kg Tanah Jambu yesterday.
Accompanying His Majesty were His Royal Highness Prince Haji Al-Muhtadee Billah, the Crown Prince and Senior Minister at the Prime Minister’s Office; and His Royal Highness 920 Major (U) Prince ‘Abdul Mateen.
The ceremony marked the graduation of 81 officer cadets of the 20th intake of the Officer Cadet School (OCS), following their successful completion of the 51-week officer cadet training course, which began on January 28, 2021.
46 officer cadets were commissioned as Royal Brunei Land Force officers, 19 as Royal Brunei Navy officers and 16 as Royal Brunei Air Force officers.
Upon arrival, His Majesty was greeted by Yang Berhormat Pehin Datu Lailaraja Major General (Retired) Dato Paduka Seri Haji Awang Halbi bin Haji Mohd. Yussof, Minister of Defence II; and Major General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Hamzah bin Haji Sahat, Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.
His Majesty received a royal salute before inspecting the Parade. The ceremony then proceeded with a march-past by the officer cadets followed by the monarch’s titah.
During the ceremony, His Majesty presented the Sword of Honour to Officer Cadet Awangku Mohammad Qamarussalihin bin Pengiran Mohammad Saifuddin, who holds a Bachelor of Arts in Syariah Islamiah from Al-Azhar University, Egypt.
The Sword of Honour, which is the highest award bestowed by His Majesty to an officer cadet, signifies the excellence of officer cadets who have the highest overall achievements in basic military training, academic, physical and in all aspects of training and leadership.
His Majesty also presented the Best Academic Award to Midshipman Nurharzelah @ Nurfazelah binti Yakub, who holds a Master of Science in Management and Technology from Universiti Teknologi Brunei. She received the award based on her overall academic results throughout the course.
The Best Military Skills Award was given to Officer Cadet (U) Dayangku Rabiatuladawiah @ Dayangku Sarimah binti Pengiran Radzuan, who holds a Bachelor in Mathematics from Universiti Brunei Darussalam. The conferment of this award was based on her excellent achievements in all areas of military skills.
Meanwhile, the Best in Physical Training Award was presented to Officer Cadet Aabed Zul-Fadhlee bin Haji Abdul Hamid, who holds a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Brunei, in recognition of the officer cadet’s outstanding achievement in physical training.
The ceremony concluded with a Majlis Junjung Ziarah with the newly commissioned officer cadets and their families and followed by a group photo session.
