Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit

First Meridian Squadron
Cap badge of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces
Active	1987-2000
Country	Fiji
Branch	Army
Type	Special Forces
Role	Counter-Revolutionary Warfare/Counter Terrorism
Size	One squadron. Around 80 men after establishment
Part of	Republic of Fiji Military Forces
Garrison/HQ	Suva
Commanders
Colonel-in-Chief	President of Fiji
Notable commanders	Ilisoni Ligairi

The Counter Revolutionary Warfare Unit or CRWU was the common name for the First Meridian Squadron, the unit's formal name, which had been disbanded in 2000. It was the only special forces group of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, and was the brainchild of former Military Commander and former Prime Minister, Major-General Sitiveni Ligamamada Rabuka.

The unit had gained notoriety in Fiji for being involved in the Fijian 2000 coup d'état and the subsequent court martial of the renegade CRW soldiers involved, as well as being accused of attempting to assassinate Frank Bainimarama after he took power by overthrowing the illegal, civilian, Fijian government that took power from Prime Minister Mahendra Chaudhry in the 2000 Fijian coup d'état. Its founding officer Ilisoni Ligairi had also gained notoriety alongside his unit for participating in the mutinies.

Although Rabuka was mainly responsible for his initiating the unit's existence, it is widely regarded that the unit's founding father, organizer and director was former British 22nd Regiment Special Air Service officer, Major Ilisoni Ligairi BEM, a retired SAS Permanent Staff instructor who, upon returning to Fiji for retirement after serving a 20-year stint with the 22 and 21 SAS regiments in Great Britain in 1984, was called up for service at the request of Sitiveni Rabuka to form the elite unit in 1987.

On 15 May 1987, Ligairi, given the temporary rank of captain at the time, began working on the selection of a tightly knit Close Protection Group (CPG) for tasks ranging from bodyguard and close protection mainly for Rabuka and visiting VIP personnel and intelligence gathering to specialist EOD and counter insurgency work. He modeled the new group and its concepts around the selection criteria and other elements on the SAS.