The Australian Civil-Military Centre (ACMC) hosted emerging leaders from 14-16 May in Brisbane for the fourth South Pacific Defence Future Leaders’ Summit – an initiative of the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting.
Emerging military and civilian defence delegates from Fiji, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand and the Pacific Fusion Centre explored how military and civilian partnerships promote regional resilience. Participants built awareness of regional security issues and best practice civil-military coordination during humanitarian emergencies.
ACMC’s Deputy Executive Director David Proctor said the summit built upon an impressive, decades-long record of collective action by Pacific militaries in response to disasters and security incidents. The event was an important opportunity to exchange knowledge and experience from across the Pacific.
“The next generation of Pacific leaders will face various challenges, including increasing frequency and severity of natural disasters as a result of climate change. The summit considered how we can prepare and respond more effectively together. It was also an important opportunity to build enduring relationships,” Mr Proctor said.
During the program, delegates visited Gallipoli Barracks for briefings on the Pacific Response Group and Australian Defence Force support for domestic disaster response. They also visited the Queensland State Disaster Coordination Centre and the Humanitarian Logistics Capability warehouse in Brisbane to build their awareness of Queensland’s multi-agency disaster management arrangements and Australia’s humanitarian rapid response capability.
For further details on ACMC’s support to strengthening disaster management, visit: https://acmc.gov.au/why-were-here/disaster-management.
