Republic of Fiji Military Forces
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) is the military force of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of 3,500 active soldiers and 6,000 reservists, it is one of the smallest militaries in the world, though most of its surrounding island nations have no militaries at all. The Ground Force is organised into six infantry and one engineer battalions, with approximately 6,000 reserves. There was formerly one "Zulu" company of counter-revolutionary specialists, which was deactivated in late 2000 due to a mutiny by some of its members. 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.
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 Acting Commander is Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto following the resignation of Brigadier Mosese Tikoitoga on 2 August 2015. Tikoitoga succeeded the previous Commander and current Head of Government Commodore Voreqe (Frank) Bainimarama after fifteen years of service as Commander and a total of thirty-nine years of active military service.
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 Commander Lieutenant Colonel Jone Kalouniwai
Naval Unit
Fiji Infantry Regiment
Regular Force
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
3rd Battalion
Territorial Force
4th Battalion
5th Battalion
7th/8th Battalion
Fiji Engineer Regiment
Logistic Support Unit
Force Training Group
Presidential Palace Guards
Fiji Military Forces Band
Headquarters Suva;
Available for military service 215,104 males, age 18–49 (2021 est.), 212,739 females, age 18–49 (2021 est.)
Fit for military service 163,960 males, age 18–49 (2021 est.), 178,714 females, age 18–49 (2021 est.)
Reaching military age annually 9,266 males (2021 est.), 8,916 females (2021 est.)
Active personnel 4,040 (ranked 146th)
Reserve personnel Approx 6,000
Deployed personnel 581;
Budget US$ 48.5 million (2020);
Percent of GDP 1.23%
Ref; Wikipedia.
Fiji
Army
Fiji
Air Force
Fiji
Navy
missing link
Air Wing of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces
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." 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.
Ref: Wikipedia
Equipment
Fiji Infantry Regiment
The Fiji Infantry Regiment is the main combat element of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces. It is a light infantry regiment consisting of six battalions, of which three are regular army and three are Territorial Force. The regiment was formed with the foundation of the Fijian armed forces in 1920, which came under the jurisdiction of New Zealand. The regiment, as it is today, goes back to 1978 following Fiji's independence. The Royal Australian Infantry Corps and Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment conduct yearly training seminars and exercises with the Fiji Infantry Regiment.
1st Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 1st Battalion was originally raised in response to the Malayan Emergency, and conducted operations in the theatre from January 1952 to July 1953 under the command of New Zealander, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Tinker. The battalion was reformed in 1978, since which it has been permanently deployed on United Nations peacekeeping missions overseas. Until 2002, this was with the UNIFIL mission in Lebanon, following which it returned to Fiji. In December 2004, 1FIR took over as the guard unit to the UNAMI mission in Iraq. The battalion provides a company group of approximately 220 for this task. In addition, it provides troops for the Fijian contingent attached to the UNMIS mission in Sudan.
2nd Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 2nd Battalion was formed in 1982 when it converted from a TF unit. It has been deployed with the Multinational Force and Observers mission on the Sinai Peninsula ever since.
3rd Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 3rd Battalion was formed in 1982 as a TF unit to replace the 2nd Battalion following its deployment to Sinai. It became part of the regular force following the 1987 coups. It is the largest of the three regular battalions, and has two main responsibilities:
Providing fresh troops for deployment with the 1st and 2nd battalions.
Maintaining the territorial defense of Fiji, specifically for the main island of Viti Levu.
Each of the three battalions in the territorial force exists as a single regular infantry company, all of which come under the operational command of the 3rd Battalion. However, all of these can be augmented to full strength with the addition of TF volunteer companies as needed. All of these units were formed following the 1987 coups and the conversion of the 3rd Battalion to regulars:
4th Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 4th Battalion has responsibility for the defence of Nadi airport and the surrounding area.
5th Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 5th Battalion has responsibility for the defence of the area around Lautoka, Ba, Tavua, Vatukaula and Ra.
7th/8th Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 7th/8th Battalion was formed by the amalgamation of the 7th and 8th Battalions, and is responsible for the defence of the Vanua Levu region.
missing link
Republic of Fiji Navy
The Fijian Navy was created when Fiji ratified the recently created United Nations Convention on Laws of the Sea. The Convention established that maritime nation had an Exclusive Economic Zone of 200 kilometres, which extended Fiji's waters twentyfold, from 50,000 square miles (130,000 km2) to over 1,000,000 square miles (2,600,000 km2). Fiji was provided three Pacific Forum patrol vessels, designed and built by Australia, so its Pacific Forum neighbours could police their own sovereignty.
Captain Humphrey Tawake is the current Chief officer of the Fijian Navy.
Equipment