PENANJONG GARRISON, Sunday, 11 September 2022 - The annual Commandant’s Challenge is one of the significant and toughest events for every intake of Officer Cadet School (OCS). Following the Commanding Officer’s (CO) Challenge in July, the Commandant’s Challenge was held today at the Penanjong Garrison in Tutong. Present to witness the event as the Guest of Honor (GOH) was the Commandant of Defence Academy Royal Brunei Armed Forces (DA RBAF), Colonel Pengiran Sharifuddin bin Pengiran Haji Yusof. Welcoming the GOH, the Commanding Officer of OCS DA RBAF, Lieutenant Colonel Pengiran Siti Khatamalzariah binti Pengiran Haji Kamaludin, along with other Senior Officers of DA RBAF and Officers of OCS DA RBAF.
The objective of the Commandant’s Challenge was to assess the officer cadets’ physical and mental abilities, teamwork coordination and abilities to lead in a section level. Similarly, to the CO’s challenge, this challenge aims to train officer cadets to lead and think decisively in a fatigue state as well as to encourage intersection competitiveness at a higher level. Officer Cadets were divided into their 9 sections and each of the officer cadet’s section had to execute and complete a total of 8 stands that tested their leadership skills whilst utilising the the Situation, Mission, Execution, Administration and Logistics, and Command and Confirm (SMEAC) tool brief. Additionally, time-based penalties were also awarded for certain stands for not completing the mission, as well as errors made during the tasks. The challenge covered a total distance no lesser than 21 km which were stretched along Penanjong Garrison in Tutong. The challenge began at 0000H on Sunday, 11 September 2022 where every 3 sections were released at a 30 minutes interval with the first section moving to the first stand and ending with the last section arriving at the finishing line. The overall champion for the Challenge was from Platoon 1 Section 1, which clocked a total time of 5 hours 53 minutes including time-penalties imposed. Whilst the last place clocked a total time of 7 hours 35 minutes. The challenge concluded with a prize presentation to the winning section and a closing remark from the Commandant.
In the Commandant’s remarks, he emphasised that team dynamic and cohesiveness contribute to the success of a team. This does not just imply the challenge itself but also when the officer cadets are commissioned as officers working at their respective units in the organization. The Commandant’s Challenge is proven to have tested the Officer Cadets mental agility, resilience and perseverance as a section and individual.
