AUS: Marking the end of RAMSI

The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) will come to a close on 30 June 2017 after nearly 14 years of assistance provided to the Solomon Islands Government.

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, acknowledged the significant Defence contribution to RAMSI.

“The outstanding success of RAMSI reflects the enduring commitment of Australia and its regional partners in working together to assist the people of the Solomon Islands,” Minister Payne said.

“As an Australian-led mission, RAMSI included assistance from 15 nations and supported the rebuilding of peace and stability in the Solomon Islands.

“The Defence contribution to RAMSI under Operation ANODE has been significant with more than 7,000 Australian Defence Force (ADF) members and Defence civilians deployed to the Solomon Islands with rotations of Defence Force personnel from Fiji, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.”

USA: USNS Sacagawea arrives in New Caledonia for Koa Moana 2017

By MC3 Madailein Abbott

USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) sits anchored off shore of Kiribati during the most recent Koa Moana, June 19. (U.S. Navy/MC3 Madailein Abbott) >>

NOUMEA, New Caledonia -Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) USNS Sacagawea (T-AKE 2) arrived in New Caledonia June 25 in support of Koa Moana 17 (Ocean Warrior).

The Koa Moana exercise series seeks to enhance senior military leader engagements between allied and partner nations with a collective interest in military-to-military relations and to discuss key aspects of military operations, capability development, and interoperability.

From June-September 2017 U.S. Marines from 3rd Battalion, 4th Marine regiment, 1st Marine Division, stationed in Twentynine Palms, Calif. and Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 3, 3rd Marine Logistics Group, from Marine Corps Base Hawaii have embarked aboard the USNS Sacagawea to participate in Koa Moana 17 events in Kiribati, New Caledonia, Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, and Vanuatu. Working alongside these partner nations, the Marines also work alongside the crew of the USNS Sacagawea, attending shipboard training, drills, and sharing workload duties during their time onboard.

AUS: Strengthening of regional security at third South Pacific Defence Ministers' meeting in Auckland

Minister for Defence, Senator the Hon Marise Payne, attended the third biennial South Pacific Defence Ministers' Meeting (SPDMM) in Auckland on Thursday and today. 

Minister Payne and her counterparts discussed regional security, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief, peacekeeping, and the coordination of military exercises across the Pacific. The Minister lent her active support to the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the South Pacific with the offer of training and mentoring opportunities.

The Minister also advised the meeting in relation to design changes in the new Australian-built Guardian-class patrol boats which will remove unnecessary obstacles to the operational deployment of women in maritime security roles.

AUS: Exercise Croix Du Sud launches into action

Over 100 members of the Australian Defence Force have joined a French-flavoured multinational force for some valuable training in disaster response interoperability.

Running until 18 November, Exercise Croix Du Sud Southern Cross is the largest humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) training exercise in the South Pacific.

Led by the French Armed Forces of New Caledonia (FANC), Croix Du Sud is held every two years as part of France’s engagement in the region and assists all participants to prepare for major HADR operations.

The Commander of the Australian Contingent, Lieutenant Colonel Paul Manoel, said the exercise tackles the more difficult areas of disaster response.

“Croix Du Sud allows us to deal with the responses that may be required when the security situation is complex following a disaster,” he said.

News Story: Malaysia, Singapore invited to join in military exercise in New Zealand

WELLINGTON, Oct. 31 (Xinhua) -- New Zealand's largest multi-national military exercise is to get even bigger, with more countries taking part in, the New Zealand Defense Force (NZDF) said Monday.

Held every two years, Southern Katipo exercise involved naval, land and air services and more than 2,000 personnel from New Zealand and defense partners including Australia, France, the United States, Fiji, Papua New Guinea and Tonga.

Singapore and Malaysia had been invited to participate in next year's drill, increasing the number of international participants from nine to 11, said the NZDF.

The exercise, scheduled for late 2017, would again be held around the west and north of the South Island, but would extend further south in the west and further east in the north.

Read the full story at Xinhua

USA: Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2016 concludes

By LT Miranda Williams, RIMPAC Public Affairs

Ships steam in formation during a group sail as the sea phase of RIMPAC wound down off the Hawaiian Islands, July 28. (U.S. Navy/MC1 Ace Rheaume) >>

PEARL HARBOR, Hawaii - The world’s largest international maritime exercise concluded Aug. 4, after more than a month of training events conducted in and around the Hawaiian Islands and Southern California.

Twenty-six nations, more than 40 ships and submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel participated in Rim of the Pacific 2016, more countries and personnel than in any previous years. This year’s RIMPAC marked the 25th in the series that began in 1971 and is now held every two years.

Hosted by U.S. Pacific Fleet, RIMPAC 2016 was led by U.S. Vice Adm. Nora Tyson, commander of the U.S. 3rd Fleet, who served as the combined task force commander. Royal Canadian Navy Rear Adm. Scott Bishop served as deputy commander of the CTF, and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force Rear Adm. Koji Manabe was the vice commander. Other key leaders of the multinational force included Commodore Malcolm Wise of the Royal Australian Navy, who commanded the maritime component; Brig. Gen. Blaise Frawley of the Royal Canadian Air Force, who commanded the air component; and Royal New Zealand Navy Commodore James Gilmour, who led the amphibious task force.

USA: RIMPAC finale demonstrates capable, adaptive, partners

By Lt. Miranda Williams, RIMPAC Public Affairs

A Royal Australian Navy landing craft transports Australian, New Zealand, Tongan, and U.S. troops ashore during a RIMPAC amphibious assault, July 30. (U.S. Marine Corps/SGT William L. Holdaway) >>

OAHU, Hawaii - Rim of the Pacific 2016 participants from eight nations showcased their amphibious landing and beach assault capabilities at Pyramid Rock Beach, Marine Corps Base Hawaii and Bellows Beach, Marine Corps Training Area Bellows, July 30.

Part of the “free play” phase of RIMPAC 2016, amphibious and air assaults culminated a month’s worth of interoperability training involving multinational land, sea and air assets.

Rim of the Pacific Combined Exercise Control Group Director Rear Adm. Russell Allen said the exercise control group helped set the stage for the invasion scenarios, slowly building a road to crisis in an imaginary group of islands based roughly on the Hawaiian Islands.

“We use our opposing forces ships, submarines and air assets in an attempt to prevent RIMPAC forces from achieving their goals. While the schedule of events phase is highly-scripted, the “free play” phase at the end of RIMPAC creates a more reactionary environment and drives a more real-world response to real-time exercise events,” said Allen.

News Story: Multinational force improving lives in Pacific islands - New Zealand military

Tropic Twilight 2016 – from left, Flying Officer Chloe Lowndes RAAF, SPC Hustin Trusso, USA Guam Army, SPR Jared Humphries, NZ Army and Cadet Lui Jian Bang, China. >>

WELLINGTON, July 15 (Xinhua) -- A New Zealand-led military force - including troops from China and the United States - has begun building community projects to improve water storage and sanitation in the Pacific island nation of Tonga, the New zealand Defence Force (NZDF) said Friday.

The construction work was part of Exercise Tropic Twilight 2016 in Lifuka and Foa, the two main islands in Tonga's Ha'apai island group, said Lieutenant Colonel Josh Wineera, the NZDF Task Force Commander and Senior National Officer.

Nine 10,000-litre water storage tanks were being installed at churches, the fire station and city hall in Pangai, the administrative capital village of Ha'apai, Wineera said in a statement.

Engineers from His Majesty's Armed Forces Tonga, the New Zealand Army, China's People's Liberation Army and the United States Army were also building a toilet block near the Pangai Ferry Terminal, a high-traffic location.

Read the full story at Xinhua

USA: Task Force Koa Moana to start training exercise in Fiji and Tonga

Approximately 200 Marines, Sailors and Coast Guardsmen from I Marine Expeditionary Force (I MEF) and III Marine Expeditionary Force (III MEF), U.S. Navy 7th Fleet, and U.S. Coast Guard's 14th District enforcement staff and Maritime Safety and Security Team, Honolulu personnel will participate in Exercise Koa Moana 16-2 and 16-4 scheduled from May to December. The service members will conduct theater security cooperation events in Asia-Pacific with several partner nations, including Timor Leste, Papua New Guinea, Tonga, and Fiji with exercise in Fiji and Tonga scheduled for July.

Exercise Koa Moana, meaning ocean warrior, is designed to improve interoperability and enhance military-to-military relations. The exercise will give U.S. service members exposure to different types of terrain and familiarity of the region to improve their ability to respond in the event of a natural disaster. Koa Moana provides a unique training opportunity for building stronger relationships and promoting capacity for training.

The current 16-2 iteration will focus primarily on enhancing partnerships, improving U.S. Marines’ expeditionary proficiency and military engineering capabilities between the partners, while follow-on iterations will also feature U.S. Pacific Fleet forces and other units assigned to Marine Forces Pacific. Through continued multilateral training, the partnership between the U.S and its regional partners is enhanced and strengthened to ensure the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. Koa Moana 16-2, like all multilateral training exercises, is dedicated to maintaining a flexible and effective force in readiness and is not connected to any current events. 

US Embassy - Suva/Fiji/Kiribati/Nauru/Tonga/Tuvalu

AUS: Canberra departs for world's largest maritime warfare exercise

HMAS Canberra at sea near Fiji during HA/DR operations

LSIS Helen Frank (author), 

HMAS Canberra set sail for Hawaii last month to participate in the world's largest international maritime warfare exercise, Exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC).

The amphibious ship embarked 500 troops and vehicles from 2nd Battalion, the Royal Australian Regiment, in Townsville before departing on the three-month deployment.

Batallion Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Bassingthwaighte, said his soldiers would work with troops from New Zealand, the United States and Tonga as part of a battalion-sized landing team.

“It’s really about getting that common understanding of proceedings and working effectively together,” he said.

“We will be involved in the full range of amphibious activities, from pre-landing activities to air mobiles, surface assaults and tactical actions ashore.

USA: Exercise Koa Moana - U.S. Naval Ship to Visit Port Moresby

USNS Sacagawea (Image: Wiki Commons)

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea: The United States Naval Ship (USNS) Sacagawea will visit Port Moresby from June 17 to 24 as part of Exercise Koa Moana 16.2, a bilateral exchange between the U.S Marine Corps and the Papua New Guinea Defense Force.

In addition to working with Papua New Guinea, U.S. service members on the USNS Sacagawea will conduct security cooperation events in Asia-Pacific with several other partner nations, including Timor Leste, Tonga, and Fiji.

Exercise Koa Moana, which is Hawaiian meaning “Ocean Warrior”, is designed to improve interoperability and enhance military-to-military relations with partner nations. The exercise will give U.S. service members exposure to different types of terrain and familiarity in the event of a natural disaster in the region. Exercise Koa Moana provides a unique training opportunity for building stronger relationships and promoting capacity for training. Additionally, a combined U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard team will conduct operations to help combat transnational crime on the high seas within partner nations’ Exclusive Economic Zones.

The current Koa Moana iteration will focus primarily on improving partnerships, community relation projects, utilizing amphibious assets and engineering capabilities between the allied nations, while follow-on iterations will feature U.S. Pacific Fleet forces, such as the Navy’s 7th Fleet, and other units assigned to Marine Forces Pacific.

Through continued multilateral training, the partnership between the U.S and regional allies is enhanced and strengthened to ensure the security and stability of the Asia-Pacific region. Koa Moana 16.2, like all multilateral training exercises, is dedicated to maintaining a flexible and effective force in readiness and is not connected to any current events.

US Embassy Papua New Guinea

USA: USS Spruance Finishes Historic Port Call in Tonga

USS Spruance (Image: Flickr User - Gail Snyder, III)

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Will Gaskill

NUKUALOFA, Tonga (NNS) -- Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Spruance (DDG 111) completed a four-day port call in the northern port of the Kingdom of Tonga, May 10.

The ship's visit marks the first time a U.S. warship has come pierside in Tonga. In 2011, USS Cleveland (LPD 7) anchored offshore, as did USS Pearl Harbor (LSD 52) in 2013.

During their time in port, members of the crew attended several meetings with Tongan Defense leaders, conducted community relations projects, and held a reception on their flight deck for local dignitaries.

Think Tank: DWP 2016 - Australia in the South Pacific

Anna Powles

Australia’s 2016 Defence White Paper states that it’s second Strategic Defence Interest is ‘a secure nearer region, encompassing maritime Southeast Asia and the South Pacific’ (3:68), which includes Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste and the Pacific Island countries. So what does the White Paper reveal about Australia’s strategic interests in the South Pacific?

Well, in short, nothing that different than the previous two White Papers. The 2016 White Paper differs little from the 2013 and 2009 iterations on matters of the South Pacific. The same risks are articulated in the same language. The single major difference between the Turnbull, Gillard and Rudd White Papers is the defence build-up as outlined in the 2016 White Paper and how it will potentially impact the Pacific.

However, the White Paper is revealing for its three explicit messages about Australia’s view of the Pacific. Those are: Australia as the principal security partner in the region; state fragility and instability as a source of threat to Australia; and external actors taking advantage of fragility and instability and challenging Australia’s interests. However, those three themes are variations on leitmotifs found throughout earlier White Papers and the broader Australian narrative about its immediate neighbourhood. It is worth examining these messages in greater detail.

USA: Assistant Secretary Russel Travel to Samoa, Tonga, and Palau

Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs Daniel Russel will travel to Apia, Samoa; Nuku'alofa, Tonga; and Koror, Palau, February 20-25, for bilateral meetings and regional consultations. Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift will accompany Assistant Secretary Russel.

This high-level trip demonstrates the United States’ enduring commitment to the Pacific Islands region and the whole-of-government approach to enhancing our bilateral political, economic, and security relations in the Pacific. The trip also underscores continued U.S. support to the issues that are of utmost importance to the Pacific Islands, including climate change, the ocean, maritime security, women’s empowerment, sustainable development, and health.

In Apia, Samoa, Assistant Secretary Russel will meet with Samoan government officials and visit U.S. Government-supported projects that bolster security, women’s empowerment, and environmental protection.

In Tonga, Assistant Secretary Russel will meet with Tongan government officials in Nuku'alofa and visit a USAID coastal community adaptation project site in Popua.

In Koror, Palau, Assistant Secretary Russel will meet with the president of Palau and senior officials, make a televised address to a joint session of the Palauan legislature, and have bilateral meetings with the presidents of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia who will be in Palau for the Micronesian Chief Executives’ Summit.

US State Department

AUS: Shipyard visit by Tonga’s Chief of Defence Staff - Australia’s gift to the Kingdom of Tonga undergoing sea trials

Shipyard visit by Tonga’s Chief of Defence Staff

Today Head Maritime Systems Rear Admiral Mark Purcell hosted Chief of Defence Staff, His Majesty’s Armed Forces, Tonga Brigadier Lord Fielakepa, at the Forgacs Shipyards in Newcastle, to view a just completed landing craft that will join the Tongan Naval Component next month.

The Australian Government is gifting the new Landing Craft Medium, worth approximately $5 million, to the Kingdom of Tonga as part of our Defence Cooperation Program.

Delivery of this vessel will mark a significant milestone in Australia’s Defence relationship with Tonga.

Tonga is an important security partner in the region, and this important initiative will enhance Tonga’s maritime capacity to reach its outer islands.

AUS: Royal Australian Navy returns to Fiji

HMAS Leeuwin (Wiki Info - Image: Wiki Commons)

The first Royal Australian Navy ship to visit Fiji since 2006 has completed a six-day port visit to Suva.

Commanding Officer HMAS Leeuwin, Lieutenant Commander Richard Mortimer says his ship’s company of 65 have been working alongside the Defence Forces of Fiji. 

“While in Suva, we conducted joint training with the Republic of Fiji Navy, concentrating on hydrography and navigation skills as well as damage control.  We provided them with tours of Leeuwin and in turn visited their survey facilities.”

“Today we depart Suva and will spend close to a month surveying waters around Fiji, including Rotuma Island with the Fijian Navy,” Lieutenant Commander Mortimer said.

Editorial: Why is the US Excluding China from a New Military Meeting?

US Marines come ashore during a Military Exercise

By Prashanth Parameswaran

Not every interaction that leaves out Beijing is part of a ‘containment’ strategy.

Earlier this week, media outlets reported that the U.S. Marine Corps was bringing together foreign commanders from amphibious forces – mostly those deployed in the Asia-Pacific – for a new conference to help integrate amphibious operations, with China excluded from the event.

The engagement in question is the inaugural U.S. Pacific Command Amphibious Leaders Symposium (PALS) held from May 17 to 21 in Hawaii involving around two dozen foreign nations. The Star Advertiser notes that according to the Marine Corps, the objective of the symposium is to get a handle on regional considerations with respect to amphibious operations – useful for a variety of purposes including humanitarian assistance, power projection and territorial defense. PALS reportedly includes group briefings, scenario-based exercises, and the observation of Culebra Koa 15, a joint seabasing exercise taking place in Hawaii. The idea is to help lay the groundwork for multilateral amphibious exercises between nations further down the line.

According to the Marine Corps, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, Chile, Columbia, France, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom and Vietnam will be sending representatives, while India, Brazil and East Timor were invited but unable to attend.

Read the full story at The Diplomat

Think Tank: The Southwest Pacific - A strategic priority for Australia

Pacific class Patrol Boat operators (File Photo)

Kevin Andrews

The Defence White Paper, to be released later this year, will set out how Australia will respond to its future strategic environment and will outline a strategy for securing Australia’s strategic interests in the period to 2035 and beyond.

It’ll give substance to the principle that the primary purpose of the ADF and Defence is to secure Australia and to shape Australia’s strategic environment in support of our national interests.

Yet, Defence does not exist in isolation. The White Paper will be a whole-of-government product. It’ll focus on Defence’s role as an element of a broader national approach, alongside our diplomatic, trade, policing, intelligence and aid efforts. And it’ll reflect the Government’s overall strategic, fiscal and broader policy priorities.

As a nation we cannot secure our strategic interests in isolation either. That’s why the security of Australia’s immediate neighbourhood, including the South West Pacific, is one of the highest strategic priorities for Australia. We are committed to supporting regional stability.

AUS: Minister reinforces Pacific relationships at second Pacific Defence Ministers’ meeting in Papua New Guinea

Today I (Minister for Defence: Kevin Andrews) attended the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM) with Defence Ministers from New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga, as well as senior representatives from France and Chile.  

I extend my congratulations and thanks to Minister Pok, the Defence Minister for Papua New Guinea, on hosting a successful meeting.  

During discussions, I affirmed Australia’s support for this dialogue as an important avenue to deepen security partnerships in the region. It was agreed that the forum will continue to meet biennially and the governance framework was formally endorsed by members. The next meeting will be hosted by New Zealand in 2017.

A range of new initiatives were agreed to help drive enhanced regional cooperation. Members formally endorsed the collaborative multilateral exercise framework known as POVAI ENDEAVOUR. Under this exercise framework, regional partners will be able to better align cooperative efforts in maritime security, stabilisation operations and peacekeeping, and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.  

AUS: Papua New Guinea joins Pacific Maritime Security Program

Users of the Pacific class Patrol Boat supplied by Australia

Papua New Guinea today advised it would join the Pacific Maritime Security Program.

Papua New Guinea is now the twelfth regional partner to join the Pacific Maritime Security Program.

This Program provides a regional solution to regional security issues. Papua New Guinea’s participation further strengthens the benefits of the cooperative program, expanding the region’s capacity to secure maritime resources and provide humanitarian assistance.

The Pacific Maritime Security Program will replace the current Pacific Patrol Boat Program as the centrepiece of Australia’s security engagement in the South Pacific.

The initiative includes delivery of replacement Australian-built Pacific Patrol Boats, integrated aerial surveillance activities, and enhancement to regional coordination.

Australia will build up to 21 new patrol boats, creating $594 million worth of Australian defence industry opportunities, plus a further $1.38 billion to support 30 years of through-life sustainment and personnel costs.

Other Pacific Maritime Security Program partners include Solomon Islands, Palau, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Samoa, Vanuatu, Fiji, Tuvalu, Tonga, Cook Islands and the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

AUS DoD