The Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Major General Jone Kalouniwai says they would gently offer that a nation whose institutions are being hollowed out by corruption, whose communities are being poisoned by local peddlers offering narcotics, and whose children are being preyed upon by traffickers - is not a nation that can afford to reduce the reach of the few who are still fighting back.
Major General Kalouniwai says they acknowledge and genuinely respect the concerns raised in public commentary regarding national budget allocations - including the position that military spending should be reduced on the grounds that Fiji is not engaged in conventional warfare.
He says these are legitimate questions in any democracy, and their institution welcomes them asking those who hold this view to look again not at their budget line, but at their work, including the sailors operating in open seas in the Lau Group this week.
The Commander says look at the engineers who built a rural school and Community Hall last month with no press release.
He says look at the soldiers who distributed food rations during COVID while the rest of the country stayed home.
Major General Kalouniwai also highlighted the peacekeepers who carried Fiji's flag to the world's most dangerous places, at the cadets who are learning, right now, what it means to serve something larger than themselves.
He says the RFMF has always operated with the minimum of resources, and a reduced budget has never stopped a soldier from completing the mission.
The Commander says it will not stop them now.
He asks before reducing the capacity of the one institution still extending its reach into the grey zones of this crisis - consider what is left if they are not there.
Major General Kalouniwai says they share the belief that education, health, and welfare deserve every dollar they need, and they have never argued otherwise.
He says a reduced budget has never stopped a soldier from serving, and it will not stop them now.
The Commander says every sailor and soldier who wears the uniform took an oath not to a government, not to a budget line, but to this nation and its people.
He says they are taught from their earliest days in uniform that no soldier is indispensable.
Major General Kalouniwai says you fall today; someone rises tomorrow to take your place.
He says they do not mourn their fallen - they celebrate their courage, honour their sacrifice, and carry their mission forward.
The Commander says the RFMF will continue to serve Fiji.
The RFMF Budget for 2026-2027 is $152.6 million compared to $167.8 million in the 2025-2026 Budget.
https://www.fijivillage.com/indepth/2026-2027-national-budget-aca663/
https://www.fijivillage.com/indepth/2026-2027-national-budget-aca663/
