11th Commander of the Royal Brunei Armed Forces and 14th Commander of the Royal Brunei Air Force
In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Sahat is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Hamzah. The word "bin" or "binti"/"binte" means 'son of' or 'daughter of', respectively.
On 12 September 1988, Hamzah enlisted in the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) and subsequently graduated with the rank of second lieutenant on 27 July 1989.[3] From 1992 to 1997, he flew Bolkow BO105 helicopters,[3] before returning from the United Kingdom to be an instructor for the Pilatus PC-7 MkIItrainer aircraft in 1997.[3] Hamzah later held the positions of Flight Commander Fixed Wing (Flt Comd FW) and Officer Commanding (OC) at the Flying Training School (FTS) in 2000.[3][5]
He became a Staff Officer Grade 2 (SO2) Operation after returning to Brunei from the UK in 2003.[3] Later assigned as a Staff Officer Grade 1 (SO1) Operation to the RBAF's Directorate of Operation at the Ministry of Defence in 2005, he returned to RBAirF's Commanding Officer (CO) of Operation Wing in 2007.[3] He held another important position as the Chief of Staff (COS) of Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ) from 2010 to 2012, before being assigned to the role of Deputy Commander of the RBAirF.[3] Hamzah was appointed as the Joint Force Commander of the RBAF on 19 December 2014.[3][5]
On 17 August 2018, the role of Commander of the RBAirF was succeeded by him, and he held that position until 28 August 2020,[3][6] his successor Brigadier General Mohammad Sharif would then take on his role.[7] He attended the 15th ASEAN Air Chief Conference (AACC) hosted by the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) on 1 September of that same year, and also attended RSAF's 50th anniversary parade at Tengah Air Base.[8] During his time in command, he saw the introduction of a new grey Digital Disruptive Pattern (D2P) design fabric for the RBAirF's uniform in 2019.[9]
The handover ceremony between Hamzah and Mohammad Sharif was held at Royal Brunei Air Force Base, Rimba, in Bandar Seri Begawan on 28 August 2020.[10] On 1 September 2020, Hamzah officially became the 11th Commander of the RBAF, and succeeded Aminan Mahmud. The handover ceremony was held on 1 March 2022; 2 years ago (2022-03-01), between him and his successor, Muhammad Haszaimi.[11][12]
Personal life
Hamzah is married to Hajah Anita Binurul Zahrina,[13] daughter of Pehin Dato Abdul Aziz, and together they have two children. When spare time allows, he enjoys reading, and playing volleyball and golf.[3]
^ ab"Serah Terima Tugas Pemerintah TUDB" [Handover of RBAirF government duties]. www.BruDirect.com (in Malay). Rimba: Brunei's No.1 News Website. 18 August 2018. Retrieved 2 February 2023.