SAVUSAVU, Fiji – The Prime Minister of Fiji, Hon. Sitiveni Rabuka, met with U.S. Navy Seabees assigned to Naval Mobile Construction Battalion (NMCB) 1 to discuss their 2-room schoolhouse construction project at Nabua Village, in SavuSavu, Fiji, June 3, 2026.
The project is part of the enduring Pacific Partnership mission reflecting the longstanding cooperation between Fiji and the U.S. Navy to strengthen community resilience and support critical-infrastructure development.
During the visit, Rabuka spoke directly with the Seabees working alongside Fijian partners to complete the schoolhouse, applauding their efforts and reiterating Fiji’s close relationship with the United States. Once completed, the new facility will provide a safe and resilient learning environment for the children in Nabua Village.
“Having Prime Minister Rabuka visit the construction team underscores the importance of this schoolhouse to the Nabua Village community,” said Lt. j.g. Arizona Lenski, officer in charge of the NMCB-1 Fiji Detachment. “From the beginning, our focus has been on delivering a safe and resilient learning environment for the children of Nabua Village. Knowing this facility will serve students and families for years to come makes this project especially meaningful.”
The Nabua Village schoolhouse project highlights how Pacific Partnership brings together partner nations, local communities, and subject matter experts to address shared challenges and invest in long-term capacity building. Through engineering engagements such as this, participants strengthen relationships, exchange expertise, and contribute to infrastructure supporting communities beyond the completion of the mission.
“The dedication of both our Seabees and the local Fijian community is about more than just this one project. It is about building lasting relationships and enhancing our collective ability to support one another in times of need,” said Lenski. “Working hand-in-hand with our Fijian partners has been an inspiring experience that reinforces our shared dedication to the region’s future.”
NMCB-1 is a deployable Seabee battalion that specializes in contingency construction, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and combat operations support. As “The First and the Finest” of the Naval Construction Force, the battalion provides rapid, responsive engineering and military construction capabilities globally to support theater security cooperation, joint operations, and humanitarian endeavors such as Pacific Partnership.
Now in its 20th year and 22nd iteration, the Pacific Partnership series is the largest annual multinational humanitarian assistance and disaster management preparedness mission conducted in the Indo-Pacific. Through collaboration with host and partner nations, the mission enhances regional preparedness, strengthens interoperability and disaster response capabilities, and fosters new and enduring friendships and partnerships directly contributing to regional security and stability.
For more information about Pacific Partnership visit www.facebook.com/pacificpartnership, www.instagram.com/pacific_partnership/ or https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/PacificPartnership.