Force Brigade has specialists: Lt-Col Vosaicake

The Territorial Force (TF) Brigade has specialists like nurses and doctors.

This was confirmed by the chief of staff TF Brigade, Lieutenant-Colonel Alipate Vosaicake.

He said when the TF 6 Brigade was changed to a Special Infantry Battalion there was no need for specialist training as some of the members had already qualified in those fields.

This battalion, he said, would be the second to arrive in an emergency after the 3FIR. He said the TF Brigade had also formed the Home Link Security Company.

He said currently the Home Link Security was providing security at all Goodman Fielder International (Fiji) Limited outlets in the country and at the Fiji Electricity Authority. This security company he said only employed those in the TF Brigade.

Lieutenant-Colonel Vosaicake said because of its cost of $5 per hour the company had lost its contracts in providing security in most of government’s assets.

“We have also lost contracts at all the ports of entries,” he said.

He said it was important that a security firm with experts was at Fiji’s ports of entries as they could easily spot any illegal cargo like ammunitions being brought in.

In agriculture

Lieutenant-Colonel Vosaicake said the RFMF had also set up an agricultural arm at the Army Training Group (ATG) Camp at Nasinu. “The agriculture arm has a piggery, new crops and vegetables good for local markets.” Recently he said they were successful in a cross-breed exercise where they used local guava with overseas ones. The new hybrid guava he said was one of the new plants for the retirees if they went to farming.

All retiring soldiers he said would join the TF Brigade and would join the Reserves at the age of 60.

The TF Brigade he said was supplying 60 percent of manpower in any peacekeeping duty.

He said the RFMF supplied the command group and the rest by TF including doctors and nurses.