13 February 2025
Under the Iraqi sun, boots hit the ground as a Royal Australian Air Force security team established a perimeter for an arriving rotation of Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) peacekeepers disembarking from a C-17A Globemaster III.
Eighty-two personnel from the RFMF arrived to take on responsibilities for the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq – Rotation B (UNAMI-B).
The passengers were offloaded and processed as the mobile air load team verified incoming cargo and boarded an outgoing RFMF element within four hours.
Customs checks, bag inspections and efficient handling were crucial, as any delays could have impacted the schedule.
The mission, which began in mid-January, involved 30 ADF personnel providing airlift support, travelling from Fiji to Perth via Diego Garcia and al-Minhad, then Iraq, and returning to Australia, within two weeks.
The crew included loadmasters, technicians, air security officers and intelligence.
According to pilot Flight Lieutenant Tom Breaden, the mission’s success stemmed from teamwork, preparation and training.
“UNAMI-B really pulls many facets of the Air Force together to make it happen,” he said.
“We take extra precautions and follow special tactics, techniques and procedures when operating in high-risk areas like Iraq.”
'It’s about making sure maintenance, security, air movements and aircrew come together on the day to make the mission work.'
While Flight Lieutenant Breaden hasn’t flown to Iraq before, he is used to flying to new and unfamiliar places.
“Every day is something new, so it becomes quite normal to be in an area that you’re uncomfortable with,” he said.
“As a crew, we’re heavily reliant on our intelligence feed to assess threats and make informed decisions to mitigate risks.”
For loadmaster Corporal Maddy Hardy the main challenge was coordinating last-minute changes under tight time constraints.
“It all has to line up at the same time with serviceability of the aircraft. The cargo has to be ready, as well as diplomatic clearances,” she said.
Corporal Hardy said real-world implications made missions like peacekeeping more significant than routine exercises or training.
“Broadly, we have a bit more survival training to assess the reason we’re going in before we launch,” she said.
”It’s about making sure maintenance, security, air movements and aircrew come together on the day to make the mission work.”
Rotations of RFMF soldiers provide security at locations such as Baghdad Airport, Camp Tamimi and the United Nations’ main working camp.
They also guard entry and exit points while facilitating the safe movement of civilians and international personnel in a previously volatile region.
'We take extra precautions and follow special tactics, techniques and procedures when operating in high-risk areas like Iraq.'
It was RFMF Corporal Jeet Ram’s third time in Iraq as a peacekeeper and he found it more rewarding after noticing positive changes.
“Now everybody can come from green zone to red zone. It’s getting them more freedom,” he said.
“It’s very hard to face civilians trying to come in to work – 300 to 400 civilians. We have to make them feel safe.”
The RFMF contingent had four weeks of UN peacekeeping training at the joint task force school in Nadi and Labasa before leaving for their year-long deployment.
“We completed jungle training, basic military training and focused on multi-force training,” Corporal Ram said.
The returning contingent’s commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Sirino Ropate, said moral was good throughout the deployment.
“There are always ups and downs because they are away from their families for so long,” he said.
“We are making a difference in Iraq and it’s very noticeable and that’s what matters.”
Fiji provides more than 330 uniformed personnel to seven UN peacekeeping operations globally, with the largest contingent serving in UNAMI.
“We are glad we have the airlift support from the ADF, we get accommodated well and appreciate it a lot,” Lieutenant Ropate said.
