National Security and Defence Council Secretariat [NSDCS]

The NSDCS is a new addition to the Ministry and the ultimate aim is to have an independent body that will be responsible for administration of the National Security and Defence Council [NSDC]. The Secretariat is currently headed by a Director General [DG] and during this transition phase, he is responsible for:

• the final review of Fiji’s NSS, the Defence White Paper and the Police White Paper; and
• putting in place legislative provisions that establish both the NSDC and the Secretariat.

There are three Divisions within the Secretariat and their roles and responsibilities are as follows:

Intelligence and Assessment Division

The Intelligence and Assessment Division formulates security intelligence policies and is responsible for the provision of professional intelligence advice for Government’s consideration. The Division is headed by a Director who is responsible for all policy matters regarding Intelligence. During this transition period, the Director will assist the Permanent Secretary with the Secretariat role to the NSDC. There are two Sections under the Division and their roles and responsibilities are as follows:

Intelligence Section
The Intelligence Section is responsible for all intelligence related policy of the Ministry. Its current priority is the establishment of an appropriate framework that will drive intelligence collection and information exchange for Fiji into the future. For this to happen, the administration and conduct of the Heads of Intelligence [HOI] meeting is an essential output for the Section.

In addition to its policy function, the section is:

• responsible for the provision of timely intelligence advice to Government;
• the intelligence liaison arm of the Ministry with all domestic and foreign intelligence agencies including foreign embassies. Our relationship with our foreign partners focuses on information exchange and capacity building within the intelligence sector;
• developing its relationship with domestic intelligence agencies and government departments, particularly on security awareness and information exchange. Liaison with all major Government departments and agencies is a critical element of the work of the Section;
• responsible for the survey and update of Fiji’s Critical Infrastructure [CI] register; and
• responsible for the drafting and implementation of Fiji’s Protective Security Requirements [PSR]. This is a critical aspect of the work of the division which ensures that Government assets, information and personnel are protected at all times.

Assessment Section
The Assessment Section has been providing analysis and advice to the Prime Minister and senior ministers in the National Security and Defence Council since its reactivation in 2010. Its work is based on all sources of information available and works closely with other government agencies and statutory bodies when their expertise is needed. The Section works very closely with the Intelligence section and also draws reports, information and materials from other government agencies that are available through open sources such as academic journals, commercial publications and the news media.

NSS Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation Division

The NSS Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation Division is the coordination and oversight mechanism on the implementation of Fiji’s National Security Strategy [2016 and Beyond]. The major priority for the Division is to develop a monitoring mechanism and use it to measure the performances of all stakeholders with regards to the implementation of the requirements of the NSS. In addition, the Division also has a coordination role to ensure that the requirements of the NSS are properly communicated to the relevant departments and Ministries.

Apart from the above, the Division also:

• monitors the achievement of the Ministry’s outputs as prescribed in the Ministry’s Operations Plans. Inbuilt with this responsibility is the need for the Division to continuously review the structure, roles and responsibilities of the Sections and Divisions within the Ministry; and make recommendation to Executive Management on the necessary changes needed to avoid duplication of roles thus streamline processes within the Ministry. This is also a priority as there is an urgent need to continue to assess and realign the Ministry to meet modern day defence and security demands;
• monitors the implementation of the National Security and Defence Council [NSDC] meeting resolutions. This is a critical output as it ensures that political decisions are implemented across all levels of Government; and
• looks after the administration of the Border Security Committee meeting. This is an important initiative as it creates the opportunity for more productive engagement and sharing of information between the agencies. The platform will also be used to develop important Border Security initiatives such as the setting up of the Fusion Center.

Operations, Information and Data Center

This is a new Division within the Ministry and was established after a review of the current structure of the Secretariat in line with its prescribed roles and responsibilities. The Division is headed by the Senior Operations Officer [SOO], a Lieutenant Colonel on secondment from the RFMF and staffed by both seconded officers from our security forces and civilian staff within the Ministry.

For the current financial year, the primary purpose of the division will be to set up the operations and data center. Once completed, this will be the National Security Coordination Center where the Hon. Prime Minister and members of the National Security and Defence Council will be briefed on Security and Defence. Furthermore, the Division will:

• be the custodian of all information exchange and products delivered through the Secretariat’s information exchange programs;
• also look at strategic planning and drafting of the Secretariat’s Strategic Plan and Annual Operational Plans;
• be responsible for conducting the Secretariat’s strategic training needs analysis and identify critical training requirements for the Secretariat; and
• also have an IT personnel to look after the Data center and any IT requirements of the Secretariat.