THE Republic of Fiji Military Forces will amplify and test its readiness to respond to national crises alongside other government agencies through Exercise Bougainville 2026.
The exercise is intended to assess how government agencies work together during major emergencies by testing their coordination, communication and decision-making under simulated crisis scenarios.
Speaking during the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with participating agencies, exercise lead planner Captain Seci Nawalowalo said the exercise was the culmination of six months of planning and had already been shaped by lessons from earlier tabletop and command post exercises.
He said the strategic objective had remained unchanged since planning began in February, with the exercise focused on validating the RFMF’s ability to support an inter-agency crisis response under a multi-agency coordination arrangement.
“The purpose is to test ourselves and provide opportunities for other agencies to evaluate our inter-agency mechanisms,” he said.
“Exercise Bougainville 2026 will run from August 7 to 28 and combine command post, tabletop and field training activities involving about 660 personnel from seven government agencies.
“The simulated scenarios will increase in complexity over five phases, beginning with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations before progressing to counter-terrorism and maritime operations.”
According to Capt Nawalowalo, the exercise is designed to expose participating agencies to a range of national security and emergency situations requiring a coordinated government response.
He said the exercise was not solely aimed at assessing the military’s operational capability but also at strengthening the way government agencies work together during national crises.
Captain Seci Nawalowalo during the signing of the memorandum of understanding for Exercise Bougainville 2026 at the Ministry’s Strategic headquarters in Suva yesterday. Picture: JONACANI LALAKOBAU
