The ninth annual South Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting (SPDMM) wrapped up today in Auckland, New Zealand. The event gathered Defence Ministers and representatives from Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga. Observers from Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States, along with Mr. Baron Waqa, the Secretary General of the Pacific Islands Forum, attended as special guests.
This year’s theme was “Collectively Looking to the Future: Our Region in 2050,” focusing on critical regional security issues, including climate change, maritime security, and strategic competition. Discussions highlighted the importance of enhanced cooperation and a unified stance in addressing these multifaceted challenges, reinforcing the commitment of Pacific nations to uphold the region’s security and resilience.
Several key outcomes from the SPDMM were approved, notably the establishment of the Pacific Response Group (PRG), aimed at improving disaster response capabilities across the Pacific. Additionally, maritime security cooperation was a significant topic, with agreements made to advance domain awareness and to continue ship-riding cooperation and intelligence sharing to combat threats like illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing and transnational crime.
Climate change was recognized as a pressing security issue and will remain a standing agenda item for future SPDMM sessions. Ministers emphasized their dedication to enhancing regional capacity to respond to climate-related disasters.
A report on Non-traditional threats was also welcomed, addressing how South Pacific militaries are dealing with such challenges as cyber threats, natural disasters, and health crises, in accordance with the Boe Declaration on Regional Security. The establishment of the Pacific Defence Faith Network was discussed, alongside commitments to promote the Women, Peace, and Security agenda to tackle recruitment and career advancement issues within Pacific militaries.
Support was also expressed for the launch of a regional training framework to improve military training coordination by 2025. Chile’s initiative to create the SPDMM Academic Cooperation Network received praise.
Fiji’s delegation, led by Pio Tikoduadua, played a key role in advancing the Regional Training Framework discussions, which will now encompass defense civilian training streams to ensure a well-rounded approach to strengthening defense capabilities throughout the South Pacific.
The meeting concluded with a collective pledge for Pacific-led solutions and an agreement to reconvene in Chile for SPDMM 2025.