Fiji Military Forces will be given $11 million (USD$4.9m) by the United States government to buy small arms.
This is expected to announced today by the visiting Secretary of Defence Lloyd J. Austin III.
He is also expected to announce that the U.S. and Fiji will begin negotiations on a Status of Forces Agreement that will empower the two countries to work more closely together, states a US Department of Defence statement.
“He will announce $4.9 million in foreign military financing for small-arms recapitalization for Fijian forces,” said the statement.
A senior defence official said the announcements align with Fiji’s aims of continuing to grow its military’s professionalism and increasing its capabilities to respond to regional needs.
Secretary Austin would have met the Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuk
