British Troops Tested In the Jungles of Brunei

British Army troops have faced a fierce challenge in the heat and humidity of a Far Eastern jungle. 

According to Colonel Freddie Spencer Chapman, the legendary Second World War guerrilla leader who survived more than three years leading a diverse group of irregulars against Japanese occupation forces in the deep jungle of Malaya, “The jungle is neutral.”

What is certain is that the jungle is a place that requires a different approach to survival.

But if you can get over the sheer physical discomfort, a kind of peace descends. Not that it is quiet. The chirping of insects, countless different bird calls and the raucous chattering of monkeys make a significant racket.

It is more about accepting the jungle for what it is: an environment wholly different to anything those of us brought up in the temperate climate of northern Europe have ever encountered, as British Army participants in the Brunei Jungle Warfare Skills Meet (BJWSM) found out over 18 days last November.

The BJWSM was a joint endeavour by the Royal Bruneian Land Force (RBLF) and British Forces Brunei (BFB) which brought together teams from across the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and the British Army, alongside regional partners, including Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and the United States. 

For nine days these soldiers trained and worked together to learn how to survive and operate in the jungle, under the careful instruction of Royal Brunei Land Force and British Forces Brunei Jungle Warfare Instructors (JWI), before undertaking an exercise – a 72-hour patrolling competition – designed to put those skills to the test.

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