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Republic of Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has visited Fijian and Australian troops deployed to the South Queensland Warfighter Exercise.
Prime Minister Rabuka was accompanied by Minister for Defence and Veterans’ Affairs Pio Tikoduadua to the Shoalwater Bay Military Training Area and welcomed by Australian Army Commander 1st Division Major General Ash Collingburn earlier this month.
Republic of Fiji Military Forces soldiers are currently embedded with the Australian Army’s Brisbane-based 7th Brigade during the training exercise.
“A brilliant opportunity to show how Fiji and Australia are working together,” a spokesperson from the Australian Army 7th Brigade said.
“Republic of Fiji Military Forces and thousands of soldiers from 7th Brigade, other parts of the Australian Defence Force and several other nations are training as a united force in the Queensland bush, sharing skills and developing lasting bonds.”
The training involves more than 1,500 soldiers from five nations including those from Australia, Fiji, New Zealand, Tonga and the United Kingdom fighting against an entrenched enemy.
Commanding Officer of the 7th Brigade’s 8th/9th Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Raven, said conflict did not just occur in rural areas.
“With urbanisation in the world, wars are fought increasingly in and around cities and towns,” LTCOL Raven said.
“Having five nations in the battlegroup represents an opportunity to build partnerships and develop interoperability, which will be vital for future operations.”
The warfighter exercise is designed as an example of large-scale advanced collective training sponsored by Australian Army’s Land Domain Training System.
