Ritika Pratap 
The Republic of Fiji Military Forces has received an extra 14 Bushmaster military vehicles from Australia to support out peacekeeping missions.
The high-degree protection vehicles were officially handed over to Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka during his visit to Gallipoli Barracks in Brisbane.
Australia’s Minister for Defence Industry, International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy says the RFMF and the Australian Army have worked together during World War Two and have been on peacekeeping deployments together.
“Fiji is one of the strongest contributors to peacekeeping forces around the world. They are right now in the Golan Heights, in the Middle East and in the Sinai Peninsula. So it is a real privilege for Australia to help provide additional bushmasters to protect the Fijians troops as they the world’s work of keeping the world as safe as possible.”
Prime Minster, Sitiveni Rabuka says these vehicles will complement the work done by the RFMF during their missions.
“The blue flag and the blue barrier no longer protected. So we need protected mobility vehicles particularly at this time with heightened security risk in the Middle East. These vehicles will come in very handy.”
Currently, there are 42 military personnel from Fiji who are on a two-month secondment with 8/9 RAR for mobile and operations training.
Subsequently, 15 Australian military personnel are in Fiji as part of the Fiji-Australia defence and security cooperation.
