Shahril Anwar Explained

Honorific Prefix:Brigadier General (Retired) Dato Seri Pahlawan
Shahril Anwar
Honorific Suffix:PSPNB SMB PSB
Office1:13th Commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force
Predecessor1:Wardi Abdul Latip
Successor1:Hamzah Sahat
Monarch1:Hassanal Bolkiah
Deputy1:Hamsani Abdul Hamid[1]
Birth Place:Brunei
Spouse:Noraidah Ibrahim
Occupation:Military officer
Serviceyears:1986–2018
Rank: Brigadier General
Unit:No. 1 Squadron (Bell 212)
No. 4 Squadron (S70i)
Training Wing (PC-7 Mk.II)
Commands:Royal Brunei Air Force
Death Date:19 November 2021
Resting Place Coordinates:Kianggeh Muslim Cemetery, Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei

Shahril Anwar bin Haji Ma'awiah (died 19 November 2021) was a Bruneian military officer who was the thirteenth Commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF) from 2015 to 2018 and thereafter Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence. Prior to this, he was also the defence attaché of Brunei to Malaysia in 2010.

Military education

Throughout his military career, he attended several institutes and training overseas, including the Initial Officer Training (IOT) at the Royal Air Force College Cranwell (RAFC Cranwell), Lincolnshire, England in October 1986, the Qualified Helicopter Instructor (QHI) course in the United Kingdom (UK) in 1999, the 4th Advanced Command and Staff Course (ACSC) at the Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC), United Kingdom in July 2000, the Australia's Centre of Defence and Strategic Studies (ADDSS) at the Australian Defence College, Canberra, Australia in 2012.[2]

Military career

In January 1986, he enlisted into the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF), and was subsequently commissioned into the Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), joining No. 1 Squadron, Operations Wing (present day No. 11 Squadron, No. 1 Wing). He would then be assigned to the No. 4 Squadron (present day No. 14 Squadron, No. 1 Wing) as the Flight Operations Commander. Upon returning from the United Kingdom, Colonel Shahril became the Squadron Commander of the No. 4 Squadron in August 2001. In 2006, Shahril became the commanding officer (CO) of the Training Wing in the RBAirF, having previously held the position of Staff Officer Grade 2 (SO2).[2] [3]

Returning from Australia in December 2012, the Colonel was assigned to the Directorate of Force Capability Development as their director, and later became the RBAirF's deputy commander on 18 December 2014, under the command of Wardi Abdul Latip. Finally on 25 September 2015, the handover ceremony of the command of RBAirF between Wardi Abdul Latip and Shahril Anwar was held at Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, near Bandar Seri Begawan. His newly appointed position would only be effective on the following day, and become the thirteenth commander of the branch. The ceremony was attended by service and family members followed by defence advisers of several other countries.[4]

On 9 January 2016, Commander Shahril noted that the RBAirF was lacking in manpower, and required more people to enlist to replace retired or overworked servicemen. He persuaded both men and women to enlist, and announced that flight simulators for the Sikorsky Blackhawk S70i and Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II are expected to arrive in Brunei later that year.[5] Shahril Anwar with the consent of Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General on 27 May 2016.[2] Commander Shahril handed over the national flag of Brunei to Major Amierul Helpi Talip, CO of No. 238 Squadron, No. 2 Wing, prior to their departure to take part in the 23rd Exercise Airguard from 28 August to 11 September 2017.[6] On 18 August 2018, he would then be succeeded by Hamzah Sahat as the fourteenth commander.[3]

Later life and death

At a request by Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Dato Shahril became the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Defence on 10 August 2018.[3] From 2 to 5 April 2019, he represented Brunei during both the ASEAN Defence Senior Officials' Meeting (ADSOM) and ADSOM-Plus.[7] During the 8th Singapore-Brunei Defence Policy Dialogue (DPD) on 15 September 2020, Shahril co-chaired the meeting through video conference.[8] Permanent Secretary Shahril attended the 10th Meeting of the Deputy Ministers of Defense of the Republic of Korea (ROK)–ASEAN and the Seoul Defence Dialogue (SDD) on 8 September 2021.[9]

Dato Shahril passed away on Friday, 19 November 2021 and left a widow and 2 children.[10] He is laid to rest a Kianggeh Muslim Cemetery.[11]

Personal life

Dato Shahril is married to Noraidah binti Haji Ibrahim, the couple have two children. In addition, he enjoys golf, running and cycling.[2] He attended a MS ABDB association football match during the 2016 Brunei Super League.[12]

Honours

Namesakes

National

See also: Orders, decorations, and medals of Brunei.

Foreign

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Deputy Commander . 2024-08-09 . Ministry of Defence.
  2. Web site: Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence. MinDef12.rssing.com. 1 September 2013. 2 January 2024.
  3. Web site: Serah Terima Tugas Pemerintah TUDB. Submit the Government duty of RBAirF. BruDirect.com. ms. Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, Brunei Darussalam. 18 August 2018. 2 January 2024. Pelita Brunei.
  4. Web site: Royal Brunei Air Force welcomes new Commander. MinDef.gov.bn. Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, Brunei Darussalam. Defence Information Technology Unit, Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam. 25 September 2015. 2 January 2024.
  5. Web site: Abdul Aziz Ismail. 9 January 2016. Royal Brunei Air Force seeks new blood to fuel future operations. BTArchive.org. Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei Darussalam. The Brunei Times. 23 October 2022. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20220521094644/https://BTArchive.org/news/national/2016/01/09/royal-brunei-air-force-seeks-new-blood-fuel-future-operations. 21 May 2022.
  6. Web site: Royal Brunei Air Force departs to the Republic of Singapore for 23rd Exercise Airguard. MinDef.gov.bn. Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, Brunei Darussalam. Defence Information Technology Unit, Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam. 28 August 2017. 2 January 2024.
  7. Web site: Permanent Secretary at MinDef attends defence meeting. BorneoBulletin.com.bn. Borneo Bulletin Online. 2019-04-06. 2022-10-23.
  8. Web site: Singapore and Brunei reaffirm defence relations through 8th Defence Policy Dialogue. MinDef.gov.sg. 2022-10-23.
  9. Web site: ROK-ASEAN bincang kerjasama pertahanan. MediaPermata.com.bn. Media Permata Online. 2021-09-09. 2022-10-23.
  10. Web site: 2021-11-22 . RBAirF HELD RECITATION OF SURAH YAASIN AND TAHLIL CEREMONY FOR THE FORMER RBAirF COMMANDER . 2024-04-21 . mindef.gov.bn.
  11. Web site: 2021-12-29 . ROYAL BRUNEI LAND FORCE CONDUCTS RECITATION OF SURAH YASSIN AND 40 DAYS TAHLIL CEREMONIES FOR THE LATE BRIGADIER GENERAL (R) DATO SERI PAHLAWAN SHAHRIL ANWAR BIN HAJI MA'AWIAH AND SERGEANT SAIFUL BAHRIN BIN MOHD JININ . 2024-08-09 . Royal Brunei Land Force.
  12. Web site: MS ABDB Football Team. MAABDBFT.blogspot.com. 2022-10-23.
  13. Web site: RBAirF roan naming event and iftar with former.... MinDef.gov.bn. Defence Information Technology Unit, Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam. 2022-12-17.
  14. Web site: Monarch bestowed honorary medals to 22 recipients. BruDirect.com. 2022-10-23.
  15. Web site: Brunei, U.S. deepen security partnerships through CARAT. Pacom.mil. 2022-10-23.
  16. Web site: Commander of Royal Brunei Air Force receives.... MinDef.gov.bn. Defence Information Technology Unit, Ministry of Defence, Brunei Darussalam. 2022-10-23.
  17. Web site: 2016-05-06 . RBAirF COMMANDER AWARDED WITH REPUBLIC OF SINGAPORE AIR FORCE HONORARY WING . 2024-06-12 . www.mindef.gov.bn . 16.