Bandar Seri Begawan,,December 6 (AseanAll)  —  The Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam and the US Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), United States (US) conducted the 17th Joint Defence Working Committee (JDWC) meeting  in the Brunei's capital Bandar Seri Begawan,on December 5,2024,according to Ministry of Defence of Brunei. 

The meeting was co-chaired by Yang Mulia Brigadier General (Retired) Dato Seri Pahlawan Haji Alirupendi bin Haji Perudin, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence of Brunei Darussalam, and Brigadier General Sarah Russ, Mobilisation Assistant to the J5, Director of Strategic Planning and Policy, US INDOPACOM. Defence and military officials from both countries were also in attendance.

During the meeting, both co-chairs praised the active bilateral and multilateral interactions between the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and the US INDOPACOM. The JDWC meeting met to discuss, amongst other matters, bilateral defence cooperation including military training and exercises, professional exchanges and capability development, as well as exchanging views on issues of mutual interest.

As part of the 17th JDWC programme, the US delegation paid a courtesy call to Brigadier General (U) Dato Seri Pahlawan Mohd Sharif bin Dato Paduka Haji Ibrahim, Commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force at Rimba Air Base and also a courtesy call to Captain Khairil Haji Abdul Rahman, Acting Commander of the Royal Brunei Navy at Muara Naval Base on December 6. 

The JDWC between Brunei Darussalam and the United States of America was established through the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation between the Government of His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and the Government of the United States of America signed on 29 November 1994 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The MoU serves as a framework to promote defence cooperation and enhancing strong bilateral defence links between Brunei Darussalam and the United States of America.