Results for Defence

Tonga’s army has entered a formal partnership program with the National Guard of Nevada that will strengthen their military cooperation in a new working relationship. The partnership declaration was signed in Nuku'alofa on April 11, by Brigadier General Tau'aika 'Uta'atu of His Majesty's Armed Forces and Brigadier General William Burks of the National Guard of the State of Nevada, USA.

US Marines were angered by allegations first published in The Washington Post in April that troops from the Pacific island of Tonga were known to fall asleep while on post in the towers at Bastion. However, a US Central Command Memo has found that there was no evidence to suggest that was the case the night of the attack by Taliban insurgents in September 2012 on Camp Bastion, Afghanistan. In fact, the Tongan guards had different guard procedures than the Marines and Tower 17, the one nearest to the breach point that had guards, did not have a good vantage point of it

Tongan soldiers serving in Afghanistan have been criticized in US media reports this week, following a military investigation into security failures at Camp Bastion during an attack by Taliban insurgents last year.

Tonga’s 7th contingent to Afghanistan left Tonga for the United Kingdom today, September 6, to undergo pre-deployment training for two-months.

Tonga’s 13th and final military contingent deployed to the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) returned to Tonga on Monday, July 29. RAMSI marked its 10th year anniversary last week in Honiara ending the military component of the mission from Participating Forces.

U.S. Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus is making an official visit to Tonga May 9-10.

Tonga's sixth contingent for Afghanistan left Tonga for the United Kingdom on Thursday, February 28.

In a special ceremony at Taliai Camp at Fua'amotu today, the United Kingdom Operational Service Medal for Afghanistan was awarded to Tonga's fourth contingent of 55 soldiers who served in Afghanistan this year, as well as some soldiers from the first three Tongan contingents. Photos by Linny Folau.

At the Australia-Tonga Defence Cooperation Talks 2012, held today in Nuku'alofa, Australia reaffirmed its continued assistance to the Tonga Defence Services through a number of projects, activities and exercises planned for the next 12 months.