Military
The Tongan government supported the American "coalition of the willing" action in Iraq and deployed a small number of Tongan soldiers (as part of an American force) to Iraq in late 2004. The contingent of 40+ troops returned home on 17 December 2004. In 2007 a second contingent went to Iraq, and two more were sent during 2008 as part of Tonga's continuous support for the coalition. This Tongan involvement finally concluded at the end of 2008 with no reported loss of Tongan life.
In 2010, Tongan Brigadier General Tau'aika 'Uta'atu, Commander of the Tonga Defence Services, signed an agreement in London committing a minimum of 200 Tongan troops to cooperate with Britain's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan.
Tonga has also contributed troops and police to the Bougainville conflict in Papua-New Guinea and to the Australian-led RAMSI force in the Solomon Islands.
Read more about this topic: Tonga
Famous quotes containing the word military:
“[I]t is a civil Cowardice to be backward in asserting what you ought to expect, as it is a military Fear to be slow in attacking when it is your Duty.”
—Richard Steele (1672–1729)
“Weapons are an important factor in war, but not the decisive factor; it is people, not things, that are decisive. The contest of strength is not only a contest of military and economic power, but also a contest of human power and morale. Military and economic power is necessarily wielded by people.”
—Mao Zedong (1893–1976)
“Stately as a galleon, I sail across the floor,
Doing the military two-step, as in the days of yore.”
—Joyce Grenfell (1910–1979)