DEFENDING EXPANDING THE NATION'S SOVEREIGNTY: ROLES IN WIDER HORIZONS DEFENDING THE NATION’S SOVEREIGNTY: EXPANDING ROLES IN WIDER HORIZONS d DEFENCE WHITE PAPER DEFENCE WHITE PAPER 2011 The 2004 Defence White Paper, Defending the Nation’s Sovereignty, laid the basis for that more comprehensive and independent approach. The White Paper: * Recognised the essential features Darussalam’s strategic environment. of Brunei force characteristics. Importantly, the White Paper’s recommendations will not only strengthen the force’s ability to provide for the direct security of the nation both independently and, where appropriate, in coordination with the civil enforcement agencies. « Identified the essential roles and tasks that the RBAF would need to undertake across the spectrum of They contingencies. * Highlighted The more comprehensive planning framework being introduced will support and help to refine those will provide a flexible range of capabilities able to contribute constructively to crisis management and stability operations both regionally and beyond. The capacity and willingness of the importance of both nations to contribute will be important to shaping the future environment. greater transparency in the operational environment and of the command and control links to maximise force effectiveness. At the same time, strengthening the ability to deliver capability and operational outcomes in this way is by no means the end of the journey. As a number of the specific recommendations suggest, future developments will be seeking to develop the capacity of the RBAF further in two important areas. They are: « Introduced a more holistic approach to capability that recognised the roles of other agencies, the value of combat support and the national infrastructure, and the necessity for highly trained personnel. « Strategic reach — the ability to deploy and support a range of force elements at distance, further enhancing the nation’s ability to contribute more frequently and constructively to shared strategic tasks. Shaping the Force Today, the 2007 Defence White Paper Update, took this framework an important step further. « Robustness — building the capacity of the force to operate in more demanding operational environments, including greater force protection and the ability to deliver precise and graduated « It established clear and detailed priorities for future development. firepower. * Networking the force, strengthening control of the maritime environment, and a comprehensive professional development were assessed to be essential to future force effectiveness. The innovative use of technology, it can be expected, will be critical to achieving those objectives. * The Strategic circumstances may change in the future. From a national perspective, however, that future can be approached with confidence. importance of contributing to crisis response, challenges — that is, the active management identified. stability promotion and shared security of the nation’s strategic future — was clearly This White Paper delivers on that vision. Its recommendations tie together those important new strengths, maximising the ability of the RBAF to undertake priority national tasks through both the timeliness of the response and an enhanced capacity to match forces to task. Essential to achieving those objectives are: « The greater transparency of the strategic and particularly the operational environment. « The preparedness of the force to respond based on both an holistic approach to capability and improved force mobility. « Strengthening the ability of key force elements to deliver tailored effects in complex operating environments. « Current policy is well matched to the nation’s fundamental strategic characteristics. « The integrated planning and command and control arrangements have been developed to maximise the RBAF’s operational effectiveness, independently, nationally and in support of wider interests. * The initiatives set out in this paper will further strengthen the RBAF’s capacity to deliver those benefits in the national interest, responding to the more immediate challenges and guarding against the prospect of any future deterioration in the security outlook. 11