DEFENDING THE EXPANDING DEFENCE WHITE PAPER a a NATION'S ROLES IN SOVEREIGNTY: WIDER HORIZONS , DEFENCE . es WHITE PAPER CONTINUITY AND CHANGE Teeth “Therefore, we must ensure we are always prepared in our own defence, and also ensure that the capability is always relevant with the current challenges.” His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam’s Titah (Royal Speech) in conjunction with the Royal Brunei Armed Forces Golden Jubilee Anniversary Celebration on 31st May 2011 Acomprehensive assessment of the strategic environment and the challenges that may emerge to the nation and its interests is the essential foundation for national security planning. It enables both the review of current priorities and the early identification of longer term trends. While the primary focus will always be on matters directly affecting the nation, broader issues with the potential to impact significantly on regional stability must also be considered. Defending the Nation’s Sovereignty was prepared in the wake of September 11 and the Bali bombings. International terrorism and Al Qaeda’s loosely linked regional affiliates were striking at the very heart including of Southeast people Asia. smuggling, maritime piracy, was on the rise. By the 2007 Defence Transnational arms White and Paper drug Update, criminal activity, trafficking the and devastating impact of the tsunami in Indonesia had added even more weight to the non-traditional dimension security to planning agenda and a strong priorities. Separatist claims regional in several neighbouring countries and concerns about potential state failure were judged to have significant implications for regional stability. The Immediate Region A review of the contemporary environment confirms that those issues remain important. * Terrorism and its links to the activities of radical regional groups remain a serious concern. Indiscriminate attacks seeking to inflict mass casualties continue to be the terrorists’ preferred method of operation. Intra-regional movements of people, arms and finance facilitate these threats. * While separatist pressures have eased, the potential for internal dissent and a number of border disputes to create tensions between nations or spill over into the region more generally remain a concern. « The recent tsunami affecting Japan was again a clear reminder of the unexpectedness and potential impact of natural disasters. Maintaining response capabilities at a high state of readiness will be a continuing requirement for all regional countries. Pandemics can quickly spread across national boundaries, endangering the health and well being of the population. At the same time, recent developments have given prominence to several specific challenges. * The growing demand for, and for a time at least increasing price of, oil and natural gas has revived interest in offshore exploration and recovery. With deeper water drilling more possible and economically viable, the settling of boundaries, The effective regulation of natural sovereignty have renewed importance. « resource regulation exploitation, of activities and particularly in more exercise remote of border areas, remains a major concern. Both logging activities in the hinterland and the poaching of fish stocks offshore continue to test the ability of governments to regulate large scale commercial activity.