By Blake Johnson and Adam Ziogas The newly agreed Pacific defence response group to help with disaster relief will help to solidify Australia’s role as a primary provider of security assistance. It also gives the region a vital tool to promote narratives of Pacific-led security, reducing the need for military assistance from outside countries such as China. But the Pacific Response Group, from a modest start, will need to be ready to expand in its size, role and membership.
Australia needs to be prepared to dedicate a larger component of its own military forces to a future PRG expansion, or to training and funding of additional components from Pacific island countries. These are among the contentions we put forward in our ASPI report released today, Stepping up military support to humanitarian assistance in the Pacific: Recommendations for the Pacific Response Group. The ninth South Pacific Defence Ministers Meeting (SPDMM) formally endorsed the establishment of the PRG last week in Auckland.
It is a novel multinational military initiative aimed at deepening cooperation between Pacific militaries to deliver military support to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). Pacific leaders have declared that climate change is their most pressing security concern—and the region remains highly susceptible to natural disasters and severe weather events. Pacific island nations are also experiencing an unprecedented level of competition for influence that is reshaping the .
