Roasted hog, rugby and ‘Eye of the Tiger’: Behind the scenes of Sec. Austin’s historic visit to Fiji

BLACK ROCK CAMP, Fiji — The Fiji Military Forces on Friday welcomed Lloyd Austin as the first-ever U.S Secretary of Defense to visit the island nation, in an hours-long ceremony that involved the presentation of a roasted hog and concluded with a rugby game.

On Saturday, Austin will join his top counterparts from that country to announce the initiation of negotiations on a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA), which is designed to advance U.S. military efforts and joint operations in the region.

The nations will also be signing an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) to enable deeper bilateral logistics cooperation — including by enabling the transfer of fuel and medical supplies, and access to maintenance facilities during emergencies. The U.S. is also set to commit $4.9 million in new security assistance to accelerate Fiji’s defense modernization through enhanced Foreign Military Financing, pending congressional approval.

But before that, when Austin and his team touched down at the Fiji military’s headquarters for Joint Task Force Command at Black Rock Camp, he was greeted with a traditional welcoming ceremony that demonstrated the historic weight of his visit.

Fiji’s military band, which has been playing for more than a century, welcomed Austin and his delegation with the United States’ national anthem. After a full performance a bit later, they also played American music hits including “Eye of the Tiger.”

Austin was offered and consumed the island drink Kava — and he was presented with multiple traditional Fijian gifts, including a roasted hog and a whale’s tooth. The latter is significant in that whale teeth were an original form of Fiji’s currency.

At the military base near Fiji’s capital of Suva, Austin also enjoyed a rugby match among the military and a local team — after which he presented them with signed rugby balls, U.S. Department of Defense baseball caps, and a medal for each team. Austin — who played rugby during his days at West Point — told reporters he particularly enjoyed that game.

He also thanked the Fijian military a number of times for their hospitality and generosity. 

The stop in Fiji marks Austin’s final stop on a week-long trip to four nations in the Indo-Pacific as the Pentagon looks to enhance defense ties with countries in the region amid strategic competition with China. 

In a press briefing ahead of the visit, a senior defense official told DefenseScoop that part of the U.S. move to partner more deeply with Fiji is because it’s one of three Pacific Island countries with a professional, standing military.

“We need partners who have that capability to work with us,” the official said.

They added that the stop in Fiji will be a “very impactful, packed series of programming we have.”