About Oceania little is spoken and written in the Russian mass media. Therefore, the average Russian has practically no idea of either history, or the current political situation in the countries of Oceania, or even more so about the military component in the life of the region. In this article, we will talk about what the countries of Oceania are in military terms. Of course, we will not touch on the two states of the region - Australia and New Zealand, since these countries, although geographically belong to the Pacific region, are developed states, culturally and politically close rather to the countries of North America and Western Europe. They have developed armies, naval and air forces, a rich military history and have been fairly well studied in domestic literature and the media. Another thing is the Oceanian states proper, which only in the second half of the twentieth century gained political independence from yesterday's "masters" - Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand, and the United States.
Papuans in World War
Among the sovereign states of Oceania, the most famous and largest is, of course, Papua New Guinea. Before World War I, the territory of present-day Papua New Guinea was divided between Great Britain and Germany. At the beginning of the twentieth century. The British administration transferred the southeastern part of the island of New Guinea under the control of Australia, and in 1920, following the results of the First World War, the northeastern, German part of New Guinea also came under the control of Australia. In 1949, both territories were united into one administrative unit under the rule of Australia, but only in 1975 Papua New Guinea gained political independence and became a sovereign state. Before European colonization, the peoples of New Guinea did not know statehood. Of course, they had no idea about the regular armed forces and law enforcement agencies. After colonization, insignificant military units of the metropolitan countries were deployed on the island, performing primarily police functions. Only during the Second World War, the Australian military command decided to form a military unit on the territory of Papua to defend the island in the event of a Japanese invasion. In early 1940, the Papuan Infantry Battalion (PIB) was formed, with officers and non-commissioned officers recruited from the Australian professional military, and the rank and file from the Papuans. The official date of the creation of the battalion was May 27, 1940. However, the first servicemen of the battalion arrived only in March 1941, and only by 1942 three companies were formed in the battalion, and even then they were not fully staffed. In June 1942, the battalion's subdivisions moved forward to carry out missions to patrol the northern coast of Papua - in places of potential landing of Japanese troops or reconnaissance and sabotage groups. Each patrol group in the battalion consisted of Papuan soldiers and was led by an Australian officer or sergeant. Later, the battalion took part in many battles of the Allied troops on the territory of New Guinea.
In March 1944 g. To fight against the Japanese troops, the 1st New Guinea Infantry Battalion was formed, which was staffed in the same way as the Papuan one, according to the principle "officers and sergeants are Australians, privates are New Guineans." The size of the battalion was established at 77 Australian and 550 native troops. The unit took part in the Allied offensive in New Britain and on the island of Bougainville. On September 26, 1944, the 2nd New Guinea Battalion was formed, also manned by Australian officers and sergeants and New Guinea soldiers. Since it was formed at the end of the war, it practically did not take part in the hostilities in New Guinea, but showed itself in supporting the combat units of the Australian army. In June 1945, the 3rd New Guinea Battalion was formed, staffed according to the same principle as the first two battalions. In November 1944, the Royal Pacific Islands Infantry Regiment (PIR) was formed from the Papuan Infantry Battalion and the 1st and 2nd New Guinea Infantry Battalions. After the creation of the 3rd and 4th New Guinea battalions in 1945, they were also included in the Pacific Regiment. Units of the Pacific Regiment fought on the territory of Papua New Guinea proper, New Britain, on the island of Bougainville. The soldiers of the regiment became famous for their ferocity and tenacity, as evidenced by the significant number of military awards, including 6 Military Crosses and 20 Military Medals. At the same time, it is known that during the service of the regiment there were minor incidents related to dissatisfaction with the level of payment and the conditions of service. Thus, Australian officers and sergeants could overstep their authority and abuse the native soldiers recruited in Papua and New Guinea too harshly. It is noteworthy that the administration of Australian New Guinea, which opposed the creation of indigenous units, used examples of such incidents to prove the senselessness of the idea of the formation of Papuan and New Guinea military units. Nevertheless, during the years of World War II, more than 3,500 Papuans passed through the service in the Pacific Regiment. In the fighting, 65 native and Australian soldiers of the regiment were killed, 75 died from diseases, 16 were missing, 81 soldiers were injured. On June 24, 1946, the Royal Pacific Islands Infantry was formally disbanded.
Royal Pacific Regiment in the post-war period
In the post-war period, discussions among the Australian political establishment and generals of the armed forces continued about the advisability of Australia's military presence in Papua New Guinea. The growing number of conflicts between white settlers and the indigenous population still convinced the Australian authorities of the need for a military presence - primarily to ensure public safety in Papua New Guinea. In July 1949, the Papua New Guinea Volunteer Riflemen were revived, with only white Australian and European settlers serving as reservists. In November 1950 it was decided to recruit a regular infantry battalion from among the natives. In March 1951, the Royal Pacific Islands Infantry Regiment was reinstated, initially consisting of only one infantry battalion. In accordance with the plans of the Australian military command, in the event of war, the regiment had to carry out four main tasks - carrying out garrison service, patrolling the land border with Dutch New Guinea (now - Irian Jaya, Indonesia), dragging out hostilities in the event of an enemy landing, replenishing personnel Australian units deployed in Papua New Guinea. The number of the regiment was 600 servicemen, united in four companies. The first company served in Port Moresby, the second in Vanimo, the third in Los Negros and the fourth in Kokopo. December 1957 was marked by riots in Port Moresby, the capital of Papua New Guinea, which were caused by the confrontation between the soldiers of the regiment and civilians. After the riots were suppressed by the police, 153 native soldiers were fined, and 117 civilians suffered the same punishment. In January 1961, an attempt was made to strike by soldiers of the regiment, dissatisfied with the low monetary payments. After the performance of the soldiers, the salary in the regiment was increased, but the Australian command began to make careful efforts to prevent an increased concentration of representatives of one tribe and region in one unit. By 1965, the battalion consisted of 660 native soldiers and 75 Australian officers and sergeants.
When in 1962-1966. relations between Indonesia and Malaysia escalated, resulting in an armed confrontation, the Pacific Regiment, as part of the Australian army, was involved in patrolling the border with Indonesian New Guinea. Since Malaysia was an ally of Great Britain and, accordingly, Australia, the possibility of an armed confrontation with Indonesia as an adversary of Malaysia was not excluded. There was even a skirmish between the Pacific Regiment patrol and the Indonesian military on the border. The Australian command, worried about the possible invasion of Indonesia in Papua New Guinea (Indonesia at that time considered the territory of the eastern part of New Guinea as its own and after the liberation of Dutch New Guinea would not have refused to seize the Australian part of the island), decided to start training the battalion of the Pacific Regiment for partisan actions behind enemy lines. In September 1963, the second battalion of the regiment was formed, and in 1965 - the third battalion, which, however, was never fully completed. The Royal Pacific Islands Infantry grew to 1,188 Papuan soldiers and 185 Australian officers and sergeants. In 1965, the Papua New Guinea Command was formed. Since 1963, the Australian military command authorized the assignment of sergeant and junior officer ranks to Papuans and New Guinean Melanesians, after which the Papuans were sent to Victoria for training in the cadet corps. In January 1973, the Papua New Guinea Defense Forces were formed, which retained its name even after the country's independence in 1975. The Royal Pacific Islands Infantry Regiment became the basis of the Papua New Guinea Defense Forces. The regiment currently consists of two infantry battalions - the 1st Infantry Battalion, stationed at Port Moresby and the 2nd Infantry Battalion, stationed at Bayoke. The regiment's units took part in the suppression of the separatist uprising in neighboring Vanuatu in 1980. The regiment also conducted operations against the Free Papua Movement, from 1989 to 1997. participated in the suppression of the partisan resistance of the Bougainville Revolutionary Army on the islands of Bougainville and Bouca. In July 2003, the regiment's military personnel participated in the activities of the Regional Assistance Mission in the Solomon Islands, after which they remained as part of the Pacific contingent in the Solomon Islands. The regiment's combat training is carried out at the bases of the Australian army.
Papua New Guinea Defense Forces
At the time of the declaration of independence of Papua New Guinea, the strength of the Papua New Guinea Defense Forces (SDF) numbered 3,750 troops, in addition, 465 Australian officers and sergeants were in Papua New Guinea for the purpose of training personnel and servicing sophisticated military equipment. However, among the political leadership of Papua New Guinea, a point of view has spread about the need to reduce the size of the country's armed forces in the absence of an obvious enemy. But the plans to reduce the Defense Forces met with a sharp rebuff from the military, who did not want to lose decent and stable earnings as a result of the reduction and leaving for civilian life. After the military mutiny in March 2001, the government of Papua New Guinea agreed to the demands of the rebels and did not reduce the size of the armed forces. However, already in 2002, it was announced that the Defense Forces would be reduced to 2,100 men. In 2004, the intention to reduce the size of the country's armed forces by a third was also confirmed by the Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces, Captain Aloysius Tom Ur. By 2007, the Papua New Guinea Defense Force had indeed been reduced by 1,000 troops. Naturally, the modest size of the armed forces of Papua New Guinea limits the military capabilities of the country, however, among other states in Oceania, Papua New Guinea is not only the strongest, but also one of several with its own armies. Among the main problems of the New Guinea army, experts consider insufficient funding, military-technical backwardness, an unsatisfactory level of readiness for deployment outside Papua New Guinea proper, and a lack of real experience of participation in hostilities. Military assistance to the Papua New Guinea Defense Forces is provided by Australia, New Zealand and France in the area of personnel training, and in the area of funding from Germany and China. Australia is most interested in the participation of Papua New Guinea in the fight against terrorism and patrolling the maritime territories. The Papua New Guinea Defense Force has 2,100 troops. These include ground forces, air forces and maritime operations forces. For military purposes, 4% of the budget of Papua New Guinea is spent. The ground forces are directly subordinate to the headquarters of the Papua New Guinea Defense Forces, while the air force and the navy have their own commands. In recent years, the country's government has abandoned the strategy of reducing the armed forces and, on the contrary, expects to increase the number of the Defense Forces to 5,000 troops by 2017, thus increasing the scale of defense spending.
The Papua New Guinea Defense Force Ground Forces is the oldest branch of the armed forces and has its origins in the service of the Papuan and New Guinea Infantry Battalions, the Royal Pacific Islands Infantry Regiment. The-p.webp
The Air Operations Force, which is the air force of Papua New Guinea, exists to provide air support for army operations and is armed with several helicopters and light aircraft. The role of the Air Force is reduced to transport support for the ground forces, the delivery of food and assistance to the wounded and sick military personnel. The Air Force has only one air transport squadron with a total strength of about 100 troops stationed at Jackson Airport in Port Moresby. The Air Force suffers greatly from a shortage of qualified pilots. Pilot training for Papuan aviation is carried out in Singapore and Indonesia.
The Maritime Operations Forces as part of the-p.webp
Thus, despite its small size and numerous technical and financial problems, the Papua New Guinea Defense Force is one of the few full-fledged armed forces in Oceania and plays a significant role in ensuring order and security in the region. True, they act more as auxiliary units in relation to the Australian armed forces. But, given that in Papua New Guinea itself, there is a high growth of armed conflicts, including on separatist soil, and in the nearby states of Melanesia, there are numerous armed tribal conflicts, the government of Papua New Guinea quite reasonably seeks to strengthen its armed forces in military-technical, and in personnel, and in organizational terms.
Fijians serve in Lebanon and Iraq
However, the Republic of Fiji possesses the largest armed forces among the Oceanic states, despite the smaller territory in comparison with Papua New Guinea. This island state in Melanesia gained independence from Great Britain in 1970, but until 1987 it remained a part of the British Commonwealth and the English queen was formally considered the head of state. Since 1987, after the military coup, Fiji has been a republic. A significant part of Fiji's population is made up of Indians, more precisely - Indo-Fijians - the descendants of workers from India, who in the late XIX - early XX centuries. recruited to work on the plantations of the islands British landowners. Another main component of the population is the Fijians themselves, that is, the Melanesians, the indigenous inhabitants of the islands. All national communities of the republic are represented in the country's armed forces. The strength of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Fiji is 3,500 active duty personnel and 6,000 reservists. Despite the fact that the Fijian armed forces are extremely small, they play an important role in ensuring security in the Oceanian region and regularly participate in peacekeeping operations abroad as part of the UN and other international organizations. Participation in peacekeeping operations is one of the most important sources of income not only for the Fijian army, but for the entire country as a whole.
The Armed Forces of the Republic of Fiji include the Land Forces and the Naval Forces. The command of the armed forces is exercised by the President and the Commander of the Armed Forces. The Ground Forces are comprised of six infantry battalions, which are part of the Fijian Infantry Regiment, as well as an Engineer Regiment, a Logistics Group, and a Training Group. The two infantry battalions of the Fijian army are traditionally stationed overseas and carry out peacekeeping duties. The first battalion is stationed in Iraq, Lebanon and East Timor, while the second battalion is stationed in Sinai. The third battalion is serving in the capital of the country, Suva, and three more battalions are deployed in various localities of the country.
The Fijian Infantry Regiment is the backbone of the country's ground forces and the oldest military unit in Fiji. It is a light infantry regiment consisting of six infantry battalions. The regiment's history began during the Second World War. Before the war, only a territorial battalion, the Fiji Defense Force, was stationed in Fiji. As part of the Fiji Defense Forces from 1934 to 1941. there was an Indian platoon, manned by soldiers of Indian origin, under the command of the "white" platoon commander and detached sergeants. In May 1940, a regular rifle company was formed, after which the 1st battalion was formed on its basis. In October 1940, the formation of the 2nd Infantry Battalion began. Units from the island of Fiji participated in World War II under the command of New Zealand officers. In June 1942, the base of operations for the 37th American Division was established in Fiji. The Fiji Defense Forces were actively involved in maintaining the base and in the campaign in the Solomon Islands. It was not until September 1945 that the demobilization of the Fiji Defense Forces was announced. One of the servicemen of the Sefanaya regiment, Sukanaival, was presented with a high military award - the Victoria Cross, which he deserved for his valor during the battles on the island of Bougainville. However, the Fijian infantry battalion was rebuilt after the war and in 1952-1953. under the command of a New Zealand officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ronald Tinker, took part in the hostilities in Malaya. After independence, the 1st Infantry Battalion was restored, but under the control of the sovereign government. In 1978, when it was decided to deploy the United Nations Interim Force on Lebanese territory, the 1st Battalion of the Fijian Infantry Regiment was added. Later, Fijian soldiers from the 1st Battalion appeared in Iraq and Sudan. In 1982, the 2nd Fijian battalion was formed and sent to the Sinai Peninsula. The third battalion of the Fijian regiment, stationed, as we noted above, in Suva, not only carries out garrison service and protects order in the capital of the country, but also serves as a personnel reserve for the first two battalions engaged in peacekeeping operations. As for the three territorial battalions, they are small in number and each of them includes one regular infantry company. The 4th Infantry Battalion is responsible for the defense of Nadi Airport, the 5th Infantry Battalion is stationed in the Lautoka and Tavua area, the 7 / 8th (6th) Infantry Battalion is stationed in the Vanua Levu region.
The Fiji Navy was formed on June 25, 1975 to protect the country's maritime borders, provide maritime border control and perform water rescue operations. Currently, there are 300 officers and sailors in the Fiji Navy, and 9 patrol boats are in service with the fleet. Organizational and technical assistance is provided by Australia, China and the United Kingdom. In 1987-1997. there was also an aviation wing of Fiji, which was armed with two obsolete helicopters. However, after one helicopter crashed and the second served its useful life, the Fijian leadership decided to abolish the air force, since their maintenance was very expensive for the country's budget, and they did not solve any real problems.
1987 to 2000 Fiji's armed forces had their own special forces unit, the Zulu Counter-Revolutionary Military Force. They were created in 1987 after Major General Sitveni Rabuk came to power in a military coup. The direct leadership of the formation of the Fijian special forces was carried out by Major Ilisoni Ligairi, a former officer of the British 22nd SAS regiment. Initially, Ligairi carried out tasks to ensure the personal safety of General Sitveni Rabuk, but then began to create a special unit that could be used to fight terrorism and personal protection of the head of the Fijian state. By 1997, the number of spetsnaz had doubled. Air and boat units were created, training of which was carried out in conjunction with US combat swimmers and the British intelligence service MI-6. On November 2, 2000, Fijian Special Forces members mutinied at Queen Elizabeth's barracks in the country's capital, Suva. During clashes with troops loyal to the government, four government soldiers were killed. After the suppression of the mutiny, five insurgents were beaten to death, 42 soldiers were arrested and convicted of participating in the mutiny. The incident became the basis for the disbandment of the Counter-revolutionary military forces and the dismissal of special forces from military service. Experts have severely criticized this unit, accusing the special forces that it was created as a "personal guard" of a particular politician and his confidants, and not as a tool to protect the country and its population. However, after the unit was disbanded, at least eight of its troops were hired as bodyguards by Indian-born Fijian entrepreneur Ballu Khan. Other special forces were hired as instructors in the Papua New Guinea Defense Force. As for the founder of the Counter-Revolutionary Military Forces, Major Ligairi, after leaving military service in 1999, he subsequently created a private security company.
Tonga: King's Guard and Combat Marines
The only monarchy in Oceania, the Kingdom of Tonga, also has its own armed forces. This unique state is still ruled by the king (chief) of the ancient Tongan dynasty. Despite the fact that Tonga was part of the British Colonial Empire, it had its own armed formations.
So, back in 1875, the Royal Guard of Tonga was created, which by the beginning of the twentieth century. were outfitted according to the German model. Warriors of the Royal Guard of Tonga took part in the First World War as part of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces. At the beginning of World War II, the Tonga Defense Force was created in Tonga, whose competence, in addition to the personal protection of the king and maintaining law and order, included the defense of the islands from a possible landing of Japanese troops and participation in military operations together with Australian and New Zealand units. By 1943, 2000 soldiers and officers were serving in the Tonga Defense Forces, the Tongans took part in the battles with Japanese troops in the Solomon Islands. Towards the end of the war, the Tonga Defense Forces were demobilized, but revived in 1946. After the political independence of the Kingdom of Tonga was proclaimed, a new stage began in the history of the country's armed forces. Currently, the number of His Majesty's Armed Forces (as the armed forces of the Kingdom of Tonga are officially called) is 700 soldiers and officers. The general command of the armed forces is carried out by the Minister of Defense, and the direct command is by the commander of the Tongan Defense Forces with the rank of colonel. The headquarters of the army is located in the capital of the country, Nuku'alof. The Tongan Armed Forces include three components - the Royal Guard of Tonga, which serves as the ground forces; Naval Forces; Territorial Forces and Reserve.
The Royal Guard of Tonga is the oldest arm of the country, formed in the 19th century. Currently, the royal guard solves the tasks of protecting the king and the royal family, ensuring public safety, and performing ceremonial functions. The guard is stationed at the Vilai barracks in Nuku'alof and has 230 soldiers and officers. The Guard includes a rifle company, officially called the Tongan Regiment, and a 45-man Royal Corps of Musicians. In addition, an engineering unit of 40 troops is closely associated with the guard.
The naval forces of Tonga also have a long history - even in the depths of centuries, the Tongans were famous as excellent seafarers. In the middle of the 19th century, the kings of Tonga began to modernize the fleet: for example, King George Tupou I purchased sailing schooners and steam ships. After the declaration of independence of Tonga, several civilian courts were adapted for military purposes. On March 10, 1973, the first patrol boats entered service with the Tongan fleet. They formed the backbone of the Tongan Coast Guard, later transformed into the country's Navy. The Tonga Navy is currently based at Touliki Base on Tongatapu Island and Velata Base on Lifuka Island. The Tonga Naval Forces consists of a battalion of ships, marines and an air wing. There are 102 people on the ships of the Tonga Navy - sailors, non-commissioned officers and 19 officers. The division of ships consists of patrol boats, in 2009-2011. remodeled and refurbished in Australia. Each boat is armed with three machine guns. The air wing is formally considered an independent unit, but is used primarily as an auxiliary part of the Naval Forces. Aviation was formed in 1986, but until 1996 had only one aircraft in service. Currently, only one Beechcraft Model 18S aircraft, based at Foaamotu International Airport, is still in service with the wing. As for the Royal Tongan Marine Corps, despite its small number, it is the most famous abroad and combat-ready unit of the country's armed forces. There are about 100 marines and officers serving in the Royal Tongan Navy. Nearly all Marines have experience of actual combat in hot spots, as Tonga regularly dispatches a contingent of mostly Marines to participate in peacekeeping operations. In addition, the Tongan marines are well trained also because they undergo basic training not only at home, but also in the United States and Great Britain. The Royal Tongan Marines took part in the peacekeeping operation in the Solomon Islands, in Iraq (until 2008), in Afghanistan. In fact, Tonga, if we take the ratio of military personnel to the experience of participation in hostilities, is almost the most belligerent country in the world - after all, almost every soldier and officer of combat units served in a peacekeeping contingent.
Finally, in addition to the regular armed forces, Tonga has a Territorial Force with responsibilities for the defense and maintenance of order in the interior of Tonga. They are recruited by recruiting contract soldiers for a four-year service. Volunteers are trained at the training center of the armed forces, after which they are sent home, but must be in the unit for four years on the first order of the command. For this, volunteers receive a monetary allowance, but if they do not renew the contract after the first four years, then they are transferred to the reserve and are deprived of cash payments. Evasion of official duties carries severe penalties in the form of high fines and even imprisonment. The Kingdom of Tonga's Territorial Force and Reserve numbers a little over 1,100.
The "military face" of Oceania is formed by three states - Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. The rest of the countries of the region have no armed forces, but this does not mean that they do not have other paramilitaries. For example, Vanuatu paramilitaries are represented by the Vanuatu Police Force and the Vanuatu Mobile Force. The police force has 547 people and is divided into two teams - in Port Vila and in Luganville. In addition to the two main teams, there are four police departments and eight police stations. The Vanuatu Mobile Force is a paramilitary force used to assist the police. By the way, the country's police officers are also taking part in the peacekeeping operation in the Solomon Islands. There is also no military force in Tuvalu. Their functions are partially carried out by the Tuvalu National Police, which includes law enforcement, prison guards, immigration control and maritime surveillance units. The Tuvaluan Police Maritime Survey is armed with an Australian patrol boat. In Kiribati, the police service has a similar function and also has a patrol boat. Australia and New Zealand are responsible for the real defense of these countries. Therefore, even the smallest countries in Oceania, which do not have a semblance of armed forces, can live in peace - their safety is guaranteed by the Australian and New Zealand governments. On the other hand, such small states as Tuvalu or Palau, Kiribati or Vanuatu, Nauru or the Marshall Islands do not need to have armed forces. With their population and small territory, the appearance of any serious enemy dooms these states to an instant surrender. The political elites of most countries in the region are well aware of this, and therefore prefer not to spend funds on the illusion of the armed forces, but negotiate with stronger patrons, which are usually the former colonial metropolises. The only exceptions are countries with long-standing state traditions, such as Fiji and Tonga, which profit from the participation of peacekeepers in UN operations, as well as Papua New Guinea, in which the unstable situation simply does not allow the country's leadership to do without its own armed forces.
