Fiji Infantry Regiment
The Fiji Infantry Regiment is the main combat element of the Fijian military. It is a light infantry regiment consisting of six battalions, of which three are regular army and three are Territorial Force. The regiment was initially formed with the foundation of the Fijian armed forces in 1920, which came under the duristiction of New Zealand. The regiment, as it is today, goes back to 1978 following Fiji's independence.
Regular Force1st Battalion, Fiji Infantry Regiment: The 1st Battalion was formed 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. In December 2004, 1FIR took over as the guard unit to the UNAMI mission in Iraq.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 coup. 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 defence of Fiji, specifically for the main island of Viti Levu.
Territorial Force
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 coup 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 arround 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.
|
|
