BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

AIR Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford, the British Chief of the Air Staff, will be on a three-day visit to Brunei Darussalam from February 16-18, said the country’s envoy yesterday.

Speaking to the media at his residence in Kota Batu, British High Commissioner David Campbell said that the visit underscored the very close relationship that exists between the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and UK Armed Forces, as well as between the two air forces.

“We are delighted to have the Chief of the Air Staff coming and that would be an opportunity for him to engage senior officials here and also to get a better understanding of Brunei’s Armed Forces (and) Brunei’s relationship within ASEAN and the region,” he said.

Both countries interact regularly in the field of defense cooperation, through various activities including high-level visits and military training.

“We always look for ways in which we can work closer together, we have regular dialogue on training and we can share information about our Air Force, our strategy and likewise it is very interesting for our senior officials to get a better understanding of this region and Brunei’s increasing capability,” he said.

According to a statement provided, Pulford was appointed Chief of the Air Staff in July 2013.

On a similar note, Campbell also said that Wing Commander Andy Green, fighter pilot of Royal Air Force and the driver of the Bloodhound Supersonic Car (SSC), will be delivering talks and presentations to students of Institut Teknologi Brunei, Universiti Brunei Darussalam and Jerudong International School on February 12. Green will be in the Sultanate from February 11-14.

Among the topics to be discussed in his presentations was on the technology that will propel the Bloodhound SSC to over 1,600 kilometres per hour. Green was also expected to share his experiences behind the wheel of the “world’s fastest car”, the statement added.

“Hopefully, Andy Green will inspire the youth in Brunei,” Campbell said.

Green will also be giving a 15-minute talk prior to the presentation ceremony of the British Universities Brunei Association (BUBA) Awards, which will be held in the evening of February 12 from 7.30pm to 9.30pm.

Meanwhile, the British High Commission in collaboration with Jerudong International School will be organising a charity event, namely the 2014 Sport Relief Mile in Brunei on March 4. Sport Relief was launched in 2002 by Comic Relief UK, a charity which supports poor and disadvantaged people in the UK and the poorest countries.

Another event to be anticipated was visit by Margaret Manning, chief executive officer of international digital communications business Reading Room from March 5-6. Over the last 17 years, she and her team have grown Reading Room into a global award winning consultancy in the UK, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

The Brunei Times