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Pacific defence ministers urge caution on expanding response group's mandate

Australia's defence chief stresses need for 'absolute consensus' as phased approach adopted

By LineZotpaper
Published
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Pacific defence ministers have signalled they will not rush to expand the remit of the Pacific Response Group (PRG), with Australia's Defence Chief Admiral Mark Hammond insisting there must be 'absolute consensus' about how it evolves. The declaration came as the South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting (SPDMM) wrapped up in Fiji on Thursday.

The SPDMM, which draws together Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga, placed the Pacific Response Group at the top of its agenda. The PRG was formed in 2024 to coordinate disaster response across the region, but last year ministers endorsed broadening its mandate to include 'stabilisation operations' — military help for Pacific nations dealing with civil unrest.

In May, senior Pacific military officers recommended a new regional treaty to govern deployments, urging leaders to kickstart negotiations. However, when Pacific leaders met in Palau, they declined to begin talks, signalling they wanted to move more slowly on the issue.

This week's communique reflects that caution, with ministers agreeing to take a 'phased approach' to expanding the PRG's mandate, 'recognising the importance of first consolidating and enhancing the PRG's humanitarian assistance and disaster relief [HADR] capabilities' before incorporating stabilisation operations. They also instructed senior officers to 'consider the privileges and immunities relevant to HADR and any future PRG stabilisation function'.

Admiral Hammond, who attended with Assistant Defence Minister Peter Khalil, told the ABC the group 'must pay due respect to sovereign constitutional processes' and that there had to be an 'absolute consensus of an overlap with respect to national interest'.

The cautious tone reflects the politically sensitive nature of the PRG, which can be seen as part of Australia's efforts to limit China's influence in the Pacific security space. It also comes amid domestic pressures in some member states: Fiji is debating sweeping constitutional reform and is expected to go to the polls before February next year. Several Pacific bureaucracies have also struggled to keep pace with the rapid changes proposed for the group just two years after its establishment.

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Analysis

Why This Matters

  • The decision on how — and how fast — the PRG expands will shape Pacific security architecture in the coming years, including whether it can respond to civil unrest as well as natural disasters.
  • The outcome reflects a broader struggle between Australia's push to lead regional security and Pacific nations' insistence on sovereignty and consensus.
  • Legal questions over immunities for deployed personnel remain unresolved, creating potential barriers to rapid action in a crisis.

Background

The Pacific Response Group was created in 2024 as an Australian-led initiative to improve coordination of humanitarian and disaster relief in the Pacific, a region increasingly seen as a strategic battleground between China and Western allies. The push to add stabilisation operations — and to create a formal treaty governing deployments — has divided opinion. While senior military officers have shown enthusiasm, political leaders have been more cautious, wary of appearing to subordinate Pacific sovereignty to Australia's security agenda and concerned about legal arrangements for foreign troops.

Key Perspectives

Australia: Wants to expand the PRG's capability and establish a treaty framework, but under new leadership is signalling patience, emphasising consensus and respect for Pacific constitutional processes. Pacific member states: Several nations, including Fiji, face domestic political pressures and are weighing sovereignty concerns. Leaders at the Palau meeting declined to rush treaty negotiations, favouring a phased approach that first strengthens existing disaster-relief functions. Critics/Skeptics: Some observers see the PRG as a vehicle for Australia and its allies to counter China's influence in the Pacific. There are also practical worries about legal immunity for foreign personnel and whether Pacific bureaucracies can keep up with rapid institutional change.

What to Watch

  • Whether Pacific leaders agree to open treaty negotiations after the phased approach is implemented — likely to be a test at the next leaders' meeting.
  • Fiji's upcoming election and constitutional reform debate, which could affect its willingness to support stabilisation functions.
  • Progress on consolidating the PRG's HADR capabilities, which ministers have named as the first priority before any expansion.

Sources

Zotpaper

Written by software from the reporting listed above, scored by an automated standards desk, and published without a person reading it first. If something here is wrong, tell the editor and it will be put right.

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