The Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), natively known as Tentera Darat Diraja Brunei (TDDB) is the land component of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) or Angkatan Bersenjata Diraja Brunei (ABDB). The RBLF has responsibility for maintaining the territorial defence of Brunei Darussalam, both from attack from outsiders, and by assisting the Royal Brunei Police Force (RBPF) in maintaining law and order. The anniversary ceremony of RBLF's inception was place on 4 November every year.
The Brunei Malay Regiment (BMR), also natively known as the Askar Melayu Brunei (AMB) was formed in May 1961, when the first intake of 60 recruits began training. The formal foundation of the regiment occurred in June 1962 when men of the first three intakes were formed into the regimental headquarters and three rifle companies. The Brunei uprising during the night of 7–8 December 1962, posed a serious threat to the newly established regiment. The government hastened the creation of a more formidable defense force in response to the rebellion, which brought attention to the need for greater national security. The trained BMR members were kept within their camp throughout the uprising, preventing them from demonstrating their efficacy in spite of the necessity. In retaliation, Brunei was invaded by British soldiers, among them the Royal Gurkha Rifles.
Personnel from the BMR successfully completed their training in the Federation of Malaya in 1963. In order to complete a battalion, Deputy Prime Minister Tun Abdul Razak anticipated Brunei would contribute additional soldiers. In May, Brunei recruited more troops between the ages of 18 and 25, and in December, the country invited volunteers for short-service commissions. A six-week officer cadet training program was conducted at the Federation Military College in Sungai Besi for selected applicants from Segenting Camp. There were 410 members of the regiment at the end of 1963. However, the BMR was impacted when Malaya withdrew its soldiers from Brunei in August 1963 when Brunei refused to join the Federation of Malaya. While backup arrangements were in place, Brunei had some difficulties due to the sudden departure from Malayan training grounds.
It was evident by early 1964 that the regiment was no longer able to supply officers, trainers, or other services. The first phase of Brunei's Berakas Camp was almost finished, notwithstanding this setback. The Malayan commanding officer of the BMR was replaced by Lieutenant Colonel D. M. Fletcher, while regimental sergeant major and adjutant posts were filled by British Army soldiers on secondment. The BMR relocated from Segenting Camp to Berakas Camp, their permanent headquarters on 2 May 1964. By year's end, the regiment was prepared to take over many of the internal security responsibilities previously performed by the British Forces Brunei. Major General Dato Walter said on 11 July 1964, that the BMR was now functioning in the state, however he did not provide any specifics. The new encampment, which Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah named Bolkiah Camp in the middle of the year, was intended to house the Brigade Headquarters, provide support for the troops, and housing 700–800 men.
With further fortifications, the BMR was renamed the Royal Brunei Malay Regiment (RBMR) on 31 May 1965. Natively called the Askar Melayu Diraja Brunei (AMDB), the regiment was granted the title "Royal" at its fourth-anniversary parade. The Royal Brunei Malay Regiment established two new units, the Boat Section and the Air Service in 1965 to increase its capabilities further. These two units, together with the infantry, were amalgamated into a single task force in 1966. In 1966, the RBMR kept growing even after Malaysia temporarily stopped training Brunei's military. Rifle companies did, however, spend February and March training at Kota Belud. The Royal Colours were handed to the RBMR at the regiment's fifth-anniversary festivities; they remained in place until 31 May 1971, when they were altered. At this point, British officers started delegating some of their responsibilities to local officials, and Captain Mohammad was made Adjutant. Four TNKU members who had infiltrated from Sarawak were apprehended by soldiers from the regiment's number 6 and 9 platoons during small-scale operations in Bukit Belalong, Temburong District, in October. At an investiture ceremony held at Istana Darul Hana on 18 April, the following year, the Sultan paid tribute to a number of troops, notably Second Lieutenant Musa and Second Lieutenant Husin.
The RBMR changed the black and white backdrop of their shoulder titles and hat symbol to new regimental colours in 1967. The British Army's olive green shirt and pants design was adopted as part of the operational dress code, and flashes were worn on jungle helmets in place of the company colors. A new progression scheme was introduced for commissioned officers in Brunei, which was based on the British Army framework. At the School of Infantry in Warminster, three local officers, Captain Sulaiman, Captain Awangku Ibnu, and Captain Mohammad, participated in a three-month advanced school in small weapons and tactics. After finishing, they were to join an infantry brigade in England and then go to Germany to serve for a month apiece with three separate British battalions. The RBMR began to develop significantly on 7 April 1969, when it formed a Training Wing. The regiment was restructured and had grown to 928 troops by year's end. An autonomous training facility was relocated to Bolkiah Camp, while Berakas Camp's administrative elements were consolidated under a new headquarters wing. Potential recruits can now be found in secondary schools thanks to the introduction of the experimental army cadet program.
In 1972, the regiment's structure was changed, with the infantry, aviation and naval sections split into separate units once again. The infantry companies became the 1st Battalion, RBMR, with a total of five rifle companies. Three years later, the 2nd Battalion, RBMR was formed by deamalgamating B and E Companies of the 1st Battalion. After nearly two years of training, the 2nd Battalion was established on the fourteenth anniversary of the regiment. In order to staff the specialist Gurkha Reserve Unit (GRU), which was formed from former British Gurkha soldiers, a significant recruitment drive was started in 1976. Pengiran Isteri Hajah Mariam was the Colonel-in-Chief of the RBMR Women's Company (Kompeni Askar Wanita), which was also founded in 1981. In the years running up to gaining independence, from 1979 to 1984, Brunei's defence plans underwent a substantial transformation as a result of Britain's intended military pullout. 1979 saw Brunei and Britain sign the 1979 Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation, which signaled a turning point in the British disengagement plan. In retaliation, Brunei boosted military spending and expedited the procurement of cutting-edge weapons to fortify the RBMR and have it ready to secede from British control.
Following Brunei's independence from the United Kingdom on 1 January 1984, the RBMR was renamed as the Royal Brunei Land Force (RBLF), part of the wider Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF). In 1990, the Support Battalion was formed comprising an armoured reconnaissance squadron, air defence battery and combat engineer squadron, together with maintenance and administrative support. In 1994, the 3rd Battalion RBLF was formed from members of D Company, 1st Battalion RBLF and F Company, 2nd Battalion RBLF, while the air defence battery and engineering workshop were transferred from the Support Battalion to the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) and the Support Service RBAF (SS RBAF) respectively.
On 9 July 2011, the RBLF conducted trials to replace their DPM BDUs with Digital Disruptive Pattern BDUs under a contract with Force-21 Equipment.
The Royal Brunei Land Force is organised as four separate battalions:
The First Battalion was established in 1962; the organisation consisted of the first three intakes undertaking basic military training. At the beginning, the organisation was set up in Segenting Camp, Port Dickson, Malaysia. After the development of Berakas Garrison in 1975, the organisation was then changed to the First Battalion Land Force. Under the command of Colonel J. F. Davis, the force consisted of the various departments, including Markas Company, and five Rifle Companies (A, B, C, D and E).