Navy Needs Budget Boost

The Republic of Fiji Navy (RFN) requires urgent increased funding to address significant capability gaps in maritime surveillance and drug trafficking prevention, the Parliamentary committee has recommended.

The Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence tabled its consolidated review of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces Annual Reports (2019-2022) in Parliament.

The committee raised concerns about RFN’s limited budget allocation, which has remained below 20 per cent of the RFMF’s total funding despite critical maritime security challenges facing the nation.

“Given the importance of maritime security in an archipelagic state like Fiji, it is recommended that Government prioritise an increase in the RFN’s budget allocation,” the report stated.

According to figures presented, the Navy received only 11.9 per cent of the RFMF’s $169.6 million budget for 2024-2025, down from 17.7 per cent the previous year.

The committee highlighted that Fiji “continues to be a significant transit country for heroin and a major Pacific hub for synthetic drugs,” leading to increased addiction, corruption, and gang violence.

Naval capacity

The report further revealed that Fiji’s limited naval capacity has created serious capability gaps in policing its vast 1.3 million square mile Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), with monitoring restricted by the availability of only one patrol vessel and two smaller boats.

The committee recommended establishing a structure similar to New Zealand’s National Maritime Coordination Centre to improve interagency coordination in tackling maritime security threats.

Other recommendations included equipping the RFN with additional vessels to “increase patrol frequency, extend patrol reach, and reduce response times to illicit activities.”

The committee also suggested creating a ‘Department of Maritime Affairs’ to streamline reporting lines and facilitate prompt resolution of urgent maritime matters.

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