A royal Australian Air Force KC 30A aircraft transported 130 Fijian soldiers out of Fiji yesterday as part of the Vuvale Partnership between Fiji and Australia in supporting peacekeeping operations.
The peacekeepers departed Nadi for a 12-month deployment with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) peacekeeping mission in the Golan Heights.
The deployment is a partnership between the Australian High Commission and the Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF).
Major Dave Bowden of the Australian Defence Force said the work soldiers of the RFMF did for overseas peacekeeping in supporting the UN operations was critical.
“Especially with the current security context of the Middle East,” Major Bowden said.
“This RFMF deployment will provide peacekeeping, security operations to the north of Israel and the border of Syria.”
Major Bowden said the manifestation of the Vuvale Partnership was once again coming into fruition with the strategic airlift platform of the Australian Defence Force providing the support to the RFMF in their operations supporting the UN.
“This partnership goes back years and years, and we are still enduring. We spent months training these personnels in their pre-deployment training for this deployment and we will keep being here and supporting them in the future.”
