Our Purpose
The purpose of the Pacific Response Group is to provide a Pacific-led, integrated and rehearsed military Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief capability to support the region’s response to crisis.
The Pacific Response Group is a regional asset that brings together militaries from the region. It comprises troops from the following South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) member nations:
- Australian Defence Force
- French Armed Forces
- His Majesty’s Armed Forces of Tonga
- New Zealand Defence Force
- Papua New Guinea Defence Force
- Republic of Fiji Military Forces
Each Pacific Response Group member provides specialist planners and staff with expertise in a specific area, covering operations, logistics, intelligence, communications and planning.
The Pacific Response Group headquarters element are currently based in Brisbane.
Our Principles
The Pacific Response Group:
- respects the sovereignty of the affected state;
- supplements civilian-led disaster response options;
- builds on our proud record of Pacific-led regional responses;
- strengthens regional security cooperation and collective action;
- avoids duplication of effort; and
- promotes greater transparency, predictability, and certainty by clearly articulating the assistance on offer; clarifying how such assistance can be requested; and identifying the pathway to request support.
Our Commitments
Shared Regional Security
The Pacific Response Group responds to the call from Pacific Leaders in the 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent and the Boe Declaration on Regional Security to strengthen regional security cooperation and collective action. The Pacific Response Group is available to be called upon by all Pacific Island Forum members.
Improve Military Deployment Effectiveness
The Pacific Response Group improves the effectiveness of military deployments. By pooling Pacific military resources and personnel in a coordinated fashion, we are able to respond to disasters in the region with greater efficiency.
Support Civilian Responses
The Pacific Response Group provides support to civilian authorities and other organisations to plan disaster responses. The Pacific Response Group may then deploy its military personnel to undertake follow-on tasks if requested and required.
Consensually Deploy
The Pacific Response Group only deploys at the request of an affected state. Requests for assistance can be made to the head of mission of the country leading the Pacific Response Group (currently Australia) in the affected state.
