Jone Logavatu Kalouniwai is a

major general Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

in the

Republic of Fiji Military Forces The Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF, formerly the Royal Fiji Military Forces) is the military force of the Pacific island nation of Fiji. With a total manpower of about 4,000 active soldiers and approximately 6,000 reservists, it is one ...

(RFMF) who currently serves as the commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces since 16 September 2021. Previously served as director general of National Security and Intelligence, Ministry of Defence and National Security from May 2020 to September 2021, he also served as section commander in Lebanon and instructor at the RFMF Training School. Prior to his appointment as commander of RFMF, he was promoted to the rank of major general by the

prime minister of Fiji The prime minister of Fiji is the head of government of the Republic of Fiji. The prime minister is appointed under the terms of the 2013 Constitution of Fiji. The prime minister is the head of the Cabinet and appoints and dismisses ministers. ...

on 4 October 2021.

Career

Kalouniwai joined the RFMF on 23 October 1987, however he was commissioned into the Officers Corp on 10 May 1992. Kalouniwai obtained military courses in Fiji in addition to receiving his training in Newzealand, Taiwan, India and Australia. While attending defense and peace keeping seminars, he visited the United States, United Kingdom, Sweden, Nepal, and South Korea. A graduate of the Australian War College, 2019, he also obtained defense training from

Defence Services Staff College , motto_lang = sa , mottoeng = ''To War with Wisdom'' , established = (as the ''Army Staff College'', Deolali) , type = Defence Service Training Institute , affiliation = , endowment = , administrative_staff = , faculty = , presi ...

, India in 2008. He obtained his executive certificate in management from the

Australian Maritime College The Australian Maritime College (AMC) is a tertiary education institution based in Launceston, Tasmania, established by the ''Maritime College Act 1978'' (Cth). Tertiary education is provided and organised by the University of Tasmania (UTAS) as ...

, diploma in management from

Central Queensland University Central Queensland University (alternatively known as CQUniversity) is an Australian public university based in central Queensland. CQUniversity is the only Australian university with a campus presence in every mainland state. Its main campus ...

, and

MBA A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

from the same university. He received his master's degree in

defense Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense industr ...

and strategic studies from the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...

, Policy studies from

Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...

. As a commissioned officer, he was deployed at various units and participated in various missions with the

Multinational Force and Observers The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The MFO generally operates in and around the Sinai peninsula, ensuring free navigation through ...

in Sinai and Egypt, in addition to serving in the

United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon ( ar, قوة الأمم المتحدة المؤقتة في لبنان, he, כוח האו"ם הזמני בלבנון), or UNIFIL ( ar, يونيفيل, he, יוניפי״ל), is a UN peacekeeping m ...

, East Timor, Iraq, and the

Golan Heights The Golan Heights ( ar, هَضْبَةُ الْجَوْلَانِ, Haḍbatu l-Jawlān or ; he, רמת הגולן, ), or simply the Golan, is a region in the Levant spanning about . The region defined as the Golan Heights differs between di ...

, Syria. During that period, Kalouniwai was assigned various command and staff appointments. His last command appointment was at the Multinational Force and Observers,

Sinai Peninsula The Sinai Peninsula, or simply Sinai (now usually ) (, , cop, Ⲥⲓⲛⲁ), is a peninsula in Egypt, and the only part of the country located in Asia. It is between the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the south, and is a l ...

where he commanded 2nd Battalion of the

Fiji Infantry Regiment The Fiji Infantry Regiment is the main combat element of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces. It is a light infantry regiment consisting of six battalions, of which three are regular army and three are Territorial Force. The regiment was formed w ...

. His last staff appointment includes as a colonel in Syria at the UN mission Chief of Staff for the

United Nations Disengagement Observer Force The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The mission was established by United ...

where he was assigned to oversee the operational and strategic functions of the MFO's headquarter from 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Awards and decorations

Meritorious Service Decoration The Meritorious Service Decorations (french: Décorations pour service méritoire), available in two forms as the Meritorious Service Cross (Fr.: ''Croix du service méritoire'') and the Meritorious Service Medal (Fr.: ''Médaille du service mérit ...

Multinational Force and Observers Medal The Multinational Force and Observers Medal is an international military decoration which was first created on March 24, 1982. The medal was established under the authority of the Director-General of the Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) wh ...

* UNFIL Peacekeeping Medal * UNAMI Peacekeeping Medal * UNMISET Peacekeeping Medal

United Nations Medal A United Nations Medal is an international decoration An international decoration is a military award which is not bestowed by a particular country, but rather by an international organization such as the United Nations or NATO. Such awards ar ...

* UNDOF Peacekeeping Medal * Fiji Republic Medal

References

{{reflist Fijian military leaders Central Queensland University alumni National Defence College, India alumni Deakin University alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) Living people