The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF, formerly the Royal Fiji Military Forces[2]) is the military force of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of about 6,500 active soldiers and approximately 6,200 reservists, it is one of the smallest militaries in the world and the third largest in the South Pacific region. The Ground Force is organised into six infantry and one engineer battalions.
The first two regular battalions of the Fiji Infantry Regiment are traditionally stationed overseas on peacekeeping duties; the 1st Battalion has been posted to Lebanon, Iraq, Syria, and East Timor under the command of the UN, while the 2nd Battalion is stationed in Sinai with the MFO. Peacekeepers income represents an important source of income for Fiji. The 3rd Battalion is stationed in the capital, Suva, and the remaining three are spread throughout the islands.
Organisation
Commander-in-Chief – The President of the Republic is ex officio Commander-in-Chief of the Military Forces.
Commander RFMF – The Commander RFMF is of two-star rank. He is assisted by the Deputy Commander and the Chief of Staff, who are responsible for Strategic Command and Land Force Command. The current Commander is Major GeneralJone Kalouniwai who was preceded by Rear AdmiralViliame Naupoto who was appointed following the resignation of BrigadierMosese Tikoitoga on 2 August 2015.[3][4] Tikoitoga succeeded the previous Commander and former Head of Government CommodoreVoreqe (Frank) Bainimarama after fifteen years of service as Commander and a total of thirty-nine years of active military service.[5]
Strategic Command – Strategic Command is responsible for all of the long term and strategic concerns of the RFMF, including welfare, legal issues, sustainability issues etc.
Land Force Command – Land Force Command is the operational organisation of the RFMF, and is responsible for all of the main units:
The Fiji Infantry Regiment is the main combat element of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces. The regiment was formed with the foundation of the Fijian armed forces in 1920. The regiment, as it is today, goes back to 1978 following Fiji's independence.
Fijian Navy
Fijian naval ensign
The Republic of Fiji Navy was formed in 1975, following the government's ratification of the United Nations Law of the Sea convention. The Navy is responsible for maritime needs in border control, such as watching over Fiji's exclusive economic zone and organising task and rescue missions. It currently operates 9 patrol boats. Military aid is received from Australia, the People's Republic of China, and the United Kingdom (although the latter has suspended aid as a result of the 2006 military coup against the civilian government).
Speaking at 30th anniversary celebrations on 26 July 2006, Commander Bradley Bower said that the greatest challenge facing the navy of a maritime country like Fiji was to maintain sovereignty and the maritime environment, to acquire, restore, and replace equipment, and to train officers to keep pace with changing situations.
Fiji's military has a history of political intervention.[26] In 1987, soldiers were responsible for two military coups, and in 2000, the military organised a countercoup to quash George Speight's civilian coup. Since 2000, the military has had a sometimes tense relationship with the Qarase government, and has strongly opposed its plans to establish a Commission with the power to compensate victims and pardon perpetrators of the coup. Among other objections, the military claims that its integrity and discipline would be undermined if soldiers who mutinied in the 2000 upheaval were to be pardoned.
On 4 August 2005, Opposition LeaderMahendra Chaudhry called for more Indo-Fijians, who presently comprise less than one percent of the military personnel, to be recruited. (Specifically, as of October 2007, Fiji's military had 3527 full-time members, of whom only 15 were Indo-Fijians.[27]) This would help guarantee political stability, he considered. He also spoke against government plans to downsize the military. Military spokesman Lieutenant ColonelOrisi Rabukawaqa responded the next day by saying that the military was not an ethnic Fijian body, that it stood to serve the entire nation, and that there was no colour bar in its recruitment or promotion. He said that many Indo-Fijians had been reluctant to commit themselves to a military career because of the slow progress of promotion, often preferring to be discharged and to use their record as a stepping stone to a successful career in some other field. Nevertheless, he appreciated the Indo-Fijian contribution to the military, and noted the success of Lieutenant Colonel Mohammed Aziz, the head of the military's legal unit who was a pivotal figure in the court martial of soldiers who mutinied in 2000. Ironically the rate of promotion of indigenous Fijian officers had been very rapid after the 1987 coup, and subsequent expansion of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces.
On 26 August 2005, the government announced plans to study ways to reduce the size of the military. Military engineers would be transferred to the Regional Development Ministry, said Home Affair Minister Josefa Vosanibola, and the reduction of the military forces would coincide with an increase in the numbers of the police force.
On 26 September 2005, Rabukawaqa revealed that the military had decided to curtail certain operations to stay within its budget. The cuts would affect maritime patrols, search and rescue operations, training and exercises, School Cadet training, and the deployment of military engineers to rural areas. These cuts would be made to ensure that activities accorded a higher priority, such as peacekeeping operations in the Sinai Peninsula and Iraq, officer cadet training with the New Zealand Defence Forces, and the prosecution of soldiers charged with mutiny, would not be affected, Rabukawaqa said.
The next day, Lesi Korovavala, chief executive officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs, told the Fiji Village news service that the military had undertaken the reductions on its own initiative, in consultation with the department, an explanation corroborated by Lieutenant Colonel Rabukawaqa.
On 5 December 2006, the Fijian army staged a third coup d'état. On 7 February 2008, the head of the RFMF and post-coup interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama stated: "Qarase [...] does not understand the role of the Military and as such is misinforming the nation. [...] [I]f there are practices and policies which have potential to undermine the national security and territorial integrity of Fiji, the RFMF has every right under the Constitution to intervene."[28] In August 2009, with Bainimarama still controlling the government as prime minister and the constitution abrogated, Epeli Nailatikau, a former military commander, was appointed acting president on the retirement of Iloilo.
Fiji sent 54 individuals to Australia, to help fight wildfires there.[30]
Fiji Air Wing
The Air Wing of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, founded in 1987, had a base at the airport in Nausori, but was abolished in 1997. Yehonatan Shimʻon Frenḳel writes that the "Air Wing was formed after the 1987 coup, when the French provided two helicopters as part of its military aid package."[31] Frenkel goes on to say that the air wing was disbanded after both helicopters crashed and after subsequent revelations of huge debts incurred as a result of the aircraft.
Helicopter AS-365 N2 Dauphin crashed off the coast of the main island in July 1994; a smaller AS-355F-2 continued in service until mid-1997 and in 1999 was sold to France.
The Air Wing did not have its own roundel or ensign and its only marking was the national flag used as a fin flash.[32]
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William Hester (14 July 2016). "TASK FORCE KOA MOANA: LIV..."USMC. Ovalau, Fiji. Retrieved 16 March 2020. A Fijian Soldier fires a Daewoo K2 rifle during live fire training, July 12, 2016, at Ovalau, Fiji, as part of a multi-national, bilateral exercise between Fiji and the U.S.
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Maggie Boyle (7 December 2019). "EEZ surveillance capabilities boosted: Commander Natuva". Fiji Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 7 December 2019. Retrieved 6 December 2019. Only two years ago, the Fiji Navy had to rely on other foreign vessels to assist them with border surveillance with only one ship in operation. Fast forward two years and there are six vessels in operation.
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Rosi Doviverata (7 March 2020). "PM, Delegation Receive Our New Navy Vessel". Fiji Sun. Retrieved 7 March 2020. Mr Bainimarama said the new vessel could not enter the ranks of Fiji's Navy at a more pressing time. "International criminal networks are hitting the Pacific hard – particularly with the drug trade."
^"Australia gifts Guardian-class patrol vessel to Fiji". Shephard Media. 6 March 2020. Retrieved 7 March 2020. Austal CEO David Singleton said: 'the Pacific Boat Replacement Project [PPB-R] has really hit its stride, with this sixth Guardian-class Patrol Boat benefiting from a number of innovative production processes that have reduced production time, while maintaining quality.'
^"Australian Defence Force supports Fijian missions in Middle East". FBC News. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020. A RAAF KC-30 carrying 170 soldiers from the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) has departed for Sinai to support their ongoing peacekeeping mission with the Multinational Force and Observers.
^ ab"Australian Defence Force supports Fijian missions in Middle East". Mirage News. 17 March 2020. Retrieved 16 March 2020. 'Fiji's recent contribution of 54 personnel to Australia's response to the bushfire emergency was a welcome and powerful example of the importance of maintaining close ties between our nations.'
^Frenḳel, Yehonatan Shimʻon (2007). From Election to Coup in Fiji: The 2006 Campaign and Its Aftermath. ANU E Press. p. 29. ISBN978-0731538126.
Other independent states (UN member / UN recognized state) in Oceania region than those listed here do not have their own military; they typically rely on some other country for defence. Countries in the Oceania region with no military typically have a civilian police force that in time of emergency can be called to defend the country.
