Mohammad Sharif bin Haji Ibrahim is a Bruneian airman who is the deputy commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) since 2025. He was the former commander of the

Royal Brunei Air Force The Royal Brunei Air Force (RBAirF), natively known as the (TUDB), is the air force of the sultanate of Brunei. It is headquartered and mainly based at the Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, opposite the Brunei International Airport (BIA).

(RBAirF) from 2020 to 2025. He became the first

commanding officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

(CO) of the Officer Cadet School (OCS), Defence Academy Royal Brunei Armed Forces (DA RBAF), programme manager at the Centre of Science and Technology Research and Development (CSTRAD), and the country's first

defence attaché Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

in Washington, D.C. in the United States.

Military career

In February 1993, Mohammad Sharif enlisted into the

(RBAirF), being assigned 413 as his

service number A service number or roll number is an identification code used to identify a person within a large group. Service numbers are most often associated with the military; however, they also may be used in civilian organizations. National identificati ...

. He subsequently commissioned in February 1994, after finishing the Initial Officer Training at the

Royal Air Force College Cranwell The Royal Air Force College (RAFC) is the Royal Air Force academy which provides initial training to all RAF personnel who are preparing to become commissioned officers. The College also provides initial training to aircrew cadets and is resp ...

near

Cranwell Cranwell is a village in the civil parish of Cranwell, Brauncewell and Byard's Leap, in the North Kesteven district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated approximately north-west from Sleaford and south-east from Lincoln. The principal ...

in England, United Kingdom. During his time at

RAF Cranwell Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force List of Royal Air Force stations, station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the RAF Colleg ...

, he attended basic flying training and multi-engine flying, which would go on to allow him to fly the IPTN CN 235, a twin-engined

transport aircraft Transport aircraft is a broad category of aircraft that includes: * Airliners, aircraft, usually large and most often operated by airlines, intended for carrying multiple passengers or cargo in commercial service * Cargo aircraft or freighters, fix ...

. In 1999, Mohammad Sharif went to Singapore to attend the Flying Instructor's Course, in return be able to instruct pilots in the IPTN CN 235 and Pilatus PC-7 Mk.II back in Brunei. Mohammad Sharif was appointed as the Director of Intelligence in the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

on 19 March 2018, and later became the Joint Force Commander of the RBAF on 19 April 2019. He succeeded

Hamzah Sahat Hamzah bin Haji Sahat is a retired Bruneian airman and the 11th Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) who served in post from September 2020 until his retirement in March 2022. He previously held the position as the commander of the ...

as the 15th commander of the RBAirF on 28 August

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

. The handover ceremony between the two was held at

Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba Officially known as Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba (), commonly known as Rimba Air Force Base (), occasionally known as Rimba Airbase, and informally abbreviated Rimba AFB; it is the military headquarters and main operating airbase of the Ro ...

, near

Bandar Seri Begawan Bandar Seri Begawan (BSB) is the capital and largest city of Brunei. It is officially a Municipalities of Brunei, municipal area () with an area of and an estimated population of 100,700 as of 2007. It is part of Brunei–Muara District, the s ...

. During the Royal Brunei Air Force's 55th anniversary ceremony parade at the Air Movement Centre (AMC), Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, on 24 June 2021, he made a statement to

Borneo Bulletin The ''Borneo Bulletin'' is a daily English-language newspaper in Brunei. It is published by Brunei Press, which also publishes a Malay-language daily, '' Media Permata''. The ''Bulletin'' circulates around 20,000 copies on weekdays and 25,000 ...

, Mohammad Sharif oversaw the decommissioning of the RBAirF No. 1 Squadron's entire Bolkow BO105 helicopter fleet after 41 years of service. The retirement ceremony was held at the Air Movement Centre (AMC), Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, on 5 February

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

. On 2 January 2025, he was appointed as deputy commander of the RBAF, followed by the ending of his RBAirF commander on 10 January 2025.

Military education

Throughout his career, Mohammad Sharif attended several institutes and training overseas, including the

Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...

(RNZAF) Junior Staff Course at the New Zealand Defence College,

Upper Hutt Upper Hutt () is a city in the Wellington Region of New Zealand and one of the four cities that constitute the Wellington#Wellington metropolitan area, Wellington metropolitan area. History Upper Hutt is in an area originally known as Orongo ...

in 2001; the

Joint Services Command and Staff College Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC) is a British Armed Forces academic establishment that provides training and education to experienced officers of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence Civil Service, and offic ...

Shrivenham Shrivenham is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire, England, about south-west of Faringdon. The village is close to the county boundary with Wiltshire and about east-northeast of the centre of Swindon. The 201 ...

, United Kingdom in 2008; the National Defence College, New Delhi, India in 2014; and the Higher Defence Course in Spain in 2016. From 2008 to 2014, he also obtained Master of Arts (MA) in

Defence studies Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mi ...

from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

, United Kingdom, and a

Master of Philosophy A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at leas ...

(MPhil) in Defence and Strategic Studies from

Madras University The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

Chennai Chennai, also known as Madras (List of renamed places in India#Tamil Nadu, its official name until 1996), is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Tamil Nadu by population, largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost states and ...

, India.

Personal life

Mohammad Sharif is married to Noraidah binti Haji Ibrahim, and together they have two children. In addition, he enjoys running and cycling.

Honours

National *

Order of Pahlawan Negara Brunei The Most Gallant Order of Pahlawan Negara Brunei (), also translated as The Most Gallant Order of the Hero of the State of Brunei, is an order of Brunei. It was established on 28 November 1959 by Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddien III. The order consist ...

First Class (PSPNB; 15 July 2019) – ''Dato Seri Pahlawan'' *

Order of Setia Negara Brunei The Most Blessed Order of Setia Negara Brunei (), also translated as The Most Blessed Order of Loyalty to the State of Brunei, is an Order (decoration), order of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. It was established on 29 November 1959 by Sultan Omar Al ...

Fourth Class (PSB) *

Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei The Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei (), also translated as The Most Honourable Order of the Crown of Brunei, is an Order (decoration), order of Brunei, Brunei Darussalam. It was established on 1 March 1954 by Sultan Omar Ali ...

Third Class (SMB; 19 August 2017) * Excellent Service Medal (PIKB) * Sultan of Brunei Golden Jubilee Medal (5 October 2017) * General Service Medal (Armed Forces) * Pingat_Jubli_Emas_50_Tahun_Angkatan_Bersenjata_Diraja_Brunei

Pingat_Jubli_Emas_50_Tahun_Angkatan_Bersenjata_Diraja_Brunei

Royal Brunei Armed Forces Golden Jubilee Medal (31 May 2011) * Royal_Brunei_Armed_Forces_Diamond_Jubilee_Medal

Royal Brunei Armed Forces Diamond Jubilee Medal (31 May 2021) Foreign *: ** Courageous Commander of the Most Gallant Order of Military Service (PGAT; 2024) *: **

Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) The Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) () is a Awards and decorations of the Singapore Armed Forces, decoration awarded to members of the Singapore Armed Forces for exceptionally distinguished performance or extraordinary service, or the furtherance ...

(PJG; 11 May 2022) **RSAF Honorary Wings (11 May 2022) *: **

Royal Air Force College Cranwell Student Medal

References

External links

{{Authority control Royal Brunei Air Force officers Graduates of the Royal Air Force College Cranwell Alumni of King's College London National Defence College, India alumni Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera)