Australian Army engineers enhance security infrastructure in Fiji, Vanuatu

Tom Abke
The Republic of Fiji Navy (RFN) will soon have a new headquarters, thanks in part to the Australian Army’s 19th Chief Engineer Works (19CEW).
The 19CEW and Fijian builders began work on the Maritime Essential Services Centre (MESC) in Lami in 2022, with completion scheduled for August 2024. The center will house the Fiji Information Fusion Centre, the Maritime Surveillance Rescue Coordination Centre, Suva Coastal Radio, the RFN Hydrographic Service, personnel housing and other facilities, reported Australia’s Defence Department, known as Defence.
The 19CEW, which is part of the Australian Army’s 6th Brigade, includes civil engineers, project managers, construction supervisors, surveyors and architectural drafters. Since its inception in 1963, the unit has operated primarily in the Pacific region, although it has also deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq and Vietnam, among other locations. Its current projects include security infrastructure in Vanuatu.
“For 60 years, 19th Chief Engineer Works has assisted partner nations, improved the welfare of remote communities, supported the ADF [Australian Defence Force] at home and protected the lives of those on operations,” Maj. Gen. Susan Coyle, commander of the Army’s Forces Command, said in a June 2023 news release. “They’ve overseen the supply of safe water and the construction of training facilities, headquarters, airfields, medical facilities, wharves and chapels.”
Australia’s $37.4 million investment in the MESC project has created 445 local jobs. The new center, which will generate more than 70% of its energy from solar panels, “will meet a number of Fiji’s global maritime commitments to safe shipping,” Fiji’s Defence Ministry said in a statement.
In Vanuatu, 19CEW personnel are assisting local teams in redeveloping two barracks to enhance and expand the Vanuatu Police Force’s capabilities, according to Defence. The projects at the Cook and Tiroas barracks will provide training and jobs for 200 local workers, and use locally sourced materials, resources and services. Work began in March 2021 with completion expected in 2023.
The project is “part of the strong and enduring security partnership between our two nations,” Defence reported, and will “bolster local industry and boost commercial activity that will stimulate Vanuatu’s economy.”
The upgraded barracks also will house the National Emergency Radio Network, a new armory, engineer and vehicle workshops, accommodation and training facilities, a fire station, a chapel, and medical centers.
“The unit’s engagements and collaborations with industry, 6th Engineer Support Regiment, and other Army units has made a difference for many communities over many years,” Coyle said. “To see critical facilities and capabilities being used by our partner nations makes us very proud.”
Tom Abke is a FORUM correspondent reporting from Singapore.