His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga Archives - CONTACT magazine

Australian Army Private Samuel Austen-Wilkins, left, and His Majesty's Armed Forces of Tonga Lance Corporal Sione Atoa mounted in an Australian Army Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle during Exercise Talisman Sabre. Story by Major Roger Brennan. Photos by Corporal Nicole Dorrett.

Australian Army News Talisman Sabre

Boxer’s fighting season of firsts

09/08/2023 Posted by Mike Hughes 1823 Views 1 Comment 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment, 7th Brigade, Boxer CRV, Exercise Talisman Sabre, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS)

Sitting in a cavalry screen far forward of 7th Brigade Battle Groups, the Boxer combat reconnaissance vehicle surveilled Objective Otter

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His Royal Highness Crown Prince Tupouto'a ‘Ulukalala, of Tonga, right, with current student Lieutenant Commander Ametisi Fonokolafi at the Australian Defence College, Canberra. Story and photo by Corporal Jacob Joseph.

Australian Army News Pacific Royal Australian Air Force Royal Australian Navy

Royal visit to Australian Defence College

07/03/202307/03/2023 Posted by Mike Hughes 1566 Views 0 Comments Australian Defence College, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, Royal Military College

The last time Lieutenant Commander Ametisi Fonokolafi of His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga rubbed shoulders with royalty, he was commanding

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HMA Ships Canberra, Warramunga and Supply sail in formation with USS Abraham Lincoln, JS Izumo, USS Mobile Bay, USS Spruance, USS Gridley, JS Takanami, and USS Sampson in the Pacific Ocean. Story by Lieutenant Nancy Cotton. Photo by Leading Seaman Liam Sulley.

News Overseas Royal Australian Navy

HMAS Canberra home from 3-month Pacific deployment

26/08/202227/08/2022 Posted by Mike Hughes 2072 Views 0 Comments Fleet Base East, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, HMAS Canberra, HMAS Supply, HMAS Warramunga, MV-22 Osprey, Regional Presence Deployment, RIMPAC, Sri Lankan Marines

After almost three months at sea on a regional presence deployment through the Pacific, HMAS Canberra is heading back to

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Australian Army soldiers from 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, disembark from two US Marine Corps CH-53 Sea Stallions during a simulated urban close combat scenario on Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2022. Story by Flying Officer Lily Lancaster. Photo by Corporal John Solomon.

Australian Army Pacific USA

Urban close combat training takes off

29/07/2022 Posted by Mike Hughes 2010 Views 0 Comments 1st Regiment RAR, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, HMAS Canberra, RIMPAC, United States Marine Corps

A fictional village bustles with the chatter of role players and enemy party as Australian and Tongan infantry teams wait,

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Private Lucas Hinselwood from 1st Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment briefs marines from the Mexican Naval Infantry during Urban Close Combat training on RIMPAC 2022. Story by Flying Officer Lily Lancaster. Photo by Corporal John Solomon.

ADF People Videos

From student to teacher on RIMPAC

15/07/202215/07/2022 Posted by Mike Hughes 1388 Views 0 Comments 1RAR, 2nd Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, HMAS Canberra, RIMPAC

Private Lucas Hinselwood never thought that just two years into his infantry career he would be in Hawaii for the world’s largest

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Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment during a live fire shoot on board HMAS Canberra in the lead up to Excercise Rim of the Pacific 2022. Story by Flying Officer Lily Lancaster. Photo by Corporal John Solomon.

Australian Army News Pacific Royal Australian Navy Videos

Infantry sea a new way to train

13/07/2022 Posted by Mike Hughes 2802 Views 0 Comments 2RAR, 2RAR (Amphib), EF88 Austyer rifle, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, HMAS Canberra, RIMPAC

A ship is an unlikely setting for infantry training, but an Army unit aboard HMAS Canberra made it one while

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Australian Army soldiers from 1 RAR train with Royal Tongan Marines on urban clearance drills at Lavarack Barracks. Story by Captain Diana Jennings. Photo by Sergeant Andrew Sleeman.

Australian Army News Pacific

Forces combine in lead-up to Rimpac

08/06/2022 Posted by Mike Hughes 1947 Views 0 Comments 1RAR, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, RIMPAC

Rehearsing urban clearance drills like a well-oiled machine, soldiers from the 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) and His

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Lieutenant Commander Makaila Lasalo, right, talks with Nomuka Island residents during Operation Tonga Assist 2022. Story by Sergeant Matthew Bickerton. Photo by Leading Seaman Daniel Goodman.

Australian Navy officer witnessed Tongan volcano

11/05/202220/05/2022 Posted by Mike Hughes 1545 Views 0 Comments His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, Operation Tonga Assist 2022

Twenty-four hours before Ha’atafu Beach Resort in Tonga was destroyed by a tsunami, one Navy officer stood at the shoreline

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ADF personnel embark onto HMAS Adelaide at the Port of Brisbane before departure on Operation Tonga Assist 2022. Story by Captain Zoe Griffyn. Photo by Corporal Robert Whitmore.

Australian Army News Pacific Royal Australian Navy

Tonga relief set to sail

25/01/2022 Posted by Mike Hughes 1464 Views 0 Comments COVID-19, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, HMAS Adelaide, Operation Tonga Assist 2022

HMAS Adelaide has finalised the loading of humanitarian and disaster relief stores, equipment and personnel in readiness to aid recovery efforts in

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Lieutenant Esafe Vunipola demonstrates a hold on Staff Sergeant Vuna Puloka from His Majesty's Armed Forces Tonga. Story by Captain Jesse Robilliard. Photo by Private Jacob Hilton.

Australian Army News Pacific

Tongan students become Combative Masters

26/11/2021 Posted by Mike Hughes 1467 Views 0 Comments 2nd/14th Light Horse Regiment (Queensland Mounted Infantry), His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga

Five soldiers from His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga (HMAF) have the skills to train their fellow colleagues in the Army

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Tropic Twilight 2016 - Left to Right: Flying Officer Chloe Lowndes RAAF, SPC Hustin TRUSSO, USA Guam Army, SPR Jared HUMPHRIES, NZ Army and Cadet LUI Jian Bang, China. are part of combined New Zealand, US, Chinese and Australian military personnel are heading to Tonga for Exercise Tropic Twilight to help build much needed infrastructure on outlying Islands.

Australian New Zealand News Overseas

Kiwis lead multinational mission in Tonga

06/07/2016 Posted by Brian Hartigan 6955 Views 0 Comments 2nd Engineer Regiment, His Majesty’s Armed Forces Tonga, NZDF, People’s Liberation Army, Tonga, United States Army

A multinational task group led by New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) personnel will be undertaking community projects to improve water

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