Military of Fiji
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{{Military | color=#99CCFF | age=18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001) | availability=239,221 (2004 est.) | service=131,349 (2004 est.) | reaching age=9,302 (2004 est.) | active= | amount=$32 million (2003) | percent GDP=2.2% (FY02) }}
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF), with a total manpower of 3500 men, is one of the smallest in the world. The 2950 men in the active army are organized into six infantry and one engineer battalions, with 350 reserves forming a further three. There is one "Zulu" company of counter-revolutionary specialists. Army Aviation operates two helicopters.
The first two regular battalions of the Fiji Infantry Regiment are traditionally stationed overseas under UN supervision; recent posts included Lebanon, Sinai, Iraq, and East Timor. The third battalion is stationed in the capital, Suva, and the remaining three are spread throughout the islands.
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The Fijian Navy
The military includes a 300-men strong Navy, which on 25 July 2005 celebrated the thirtieth anniversary of its founding. It 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 organizing task and rescue missions. It currently operates 9 patrol boats. Military aid is received from Australia, China, and the United Kingdom.
Speaking at 30th anniversary celebrations on 26 July, 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.
Organization
- Commander RFMF - The Commander RFMF is of Brigadier General 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 Commodore Frank Bainimarama.
- 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:
- HQ Land Force Command
- Land Force Battalion
- Naval Unit
- Fiji Infantry Regiment
- Regular Force
- Territorial Force
- 4th Battalion (Nadroga, Navosa and Nadi, especially Nadi Airport facilities. Normally under the operational command of the Third Battalion).
- 5th Battalion (Lautoka, Ba, Tavua, Vatukoula, Ra. Normally under the operational command of the Third Battalion).
- 7th/8th Battalion (Vanua Levu Island; normally under the operational command of the Third Battalion).
- Fiji Engineer Regiment
- Logistic Support Unit
- Force Training Group
Political controversies
Fiji's Military has a history of political intervention. In 1987, soldiers were responsible for two military coups, and in 2000, the Military organized 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 Leader Mahendra Chaudhry called for more Indo-Fijians, who presently comprise less than one percent of the Military personnel, to be recruited. This would help guarantee political stability, he considered. He also spoke against government plans to downsize the military. Military spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Orisi 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.
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 in order 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.