An RAF Reservist from 600 Sqn recently took part in a 12-day exercise in Brunei. Flight Lieutenant (Flt Lt) Christopher Madden RAuxAF works as a corporate lawyer for Stephenson Harwood LLP in Singapore. In his spare time, he is a Legal Adviser (LegAd) in the RAF Reserves, having previously served as an intelligence analyst.
Exercise ULU WARRIOR is the annual validation exercise for the Royal Gurkha Rifles (RGR). It is held in the jungles of Brunei, where the RGR are based for several years at a time, to hone their jungle warfare skills. The RGR spent around 10 days in the jungle with ‘enemy forces’ provided courtesy of several British Army personnel from the UK.
Flt Lt Madden was situated in the exercise control (EXCON) at Tuker Lines in Brunei. The EXCON was made up of officers and soldiers from a variety of British Army regiments, including the British Army Training Unit Kenya (BATUK) who had deployed a team of soldiers to assist with the exercise.
Flt Lt Madden writes:
My usual working day is in an office in Singapore and so having the opportunity to spend close to two weeks in Brunei was an incredible experience. British Forces Brunei is made up of several separate bases, each very well equipped. It operates as any other British base in the UK, except it just happens to be in the middle of Southeast Asia. Given the personnel there are far from home, there is a real sense of camaraderie and a close-knit community.
Sitting in EXCON and getting to see the Army planning cycle for such a large exercise up close was really interesting. I also had the opportunity to sit with an Army LegAd and discuss aspects of the Law of Armed Conflict relevant to the exercise, in particular targeting and the handling of captured persons.
As with all military exercises, safety is of paramount concern. Elements of 230 Squadron RAF, operating the Puma HC2, are based in Brunei and as part of their role, provide aeromedical evacuation support for British Forces Brunei. I had the opportunity to spend a number of days with 230 Squadron and witness an aeromedical evacuation conducted by the squadron.
Flying over the jungles of Borneo in a Puma helicopter was a memory that will stay with me for a long time. The RAF provides a critical lifeline for soldiers in the jungle. Given parts of the jungle are impenetrable to land vehicles, the only way of getting soldiers out in an emergency is via air. It’s not an understatement to say the RAF provides a lifesaving force in Brunei. Getting to witness an aeromedical evacuation, and the professionalism with which it was carried out, made me feel extremely proud to be an RAF Reservist.
Having joined the RAF Reserves in 2015, I spent 8 years as an intelligence analyst with 7010 Squadron and 611 Squadron. I commissioned last year as a LegAd with 600 (City of London) Squadron, a Royal Auxiliary Air Force unit based at RAF Northolt. Being based in Singapore for my civilian job, the flight to Brunei was a much shorter one than I usually take to complete my Reservist training.
The main drawback for me of working in Singapore is the distance from the UK – it makes undertaking the required annual 27-days reservist training a little more challenging. Being able to complete a chunk of my annual training in Brunei meant it was only a 90-minute flight from Singapore. To be honest, being in Brunei strangely felt very familiar, as the base there looks like most other UK bases, except with hot weather and an outdoor swimming pool!
It was a real pleasure taking part in Exercise ULU WARRIOR and getting to see the tenacity and determination of the Royal Gurkha Regiment firsthand. People in the UK can be confident that their Armed Forces are doing important work in Brunei by ensuring that we retain a jungle fighting capability, in case this should ever be required on operations in the future. Crucially, the RAF provides vital support with the Puma. The Puma has a record of over 50 years of service with the RAF. Seeing it in action was really the highlight of my time in Brunei.