19 September 2024
With a theme of humanitarian aid and disaster relief (HADR) operations, Commander Australian Fleet Rear Admiral Chris Smith hosted a fleet commander conference during Exercise Kakadu.
The event was attended by military representatives from more than 30 nations, as well as representatives from stakeholder organisations.
Rear Admiral Smith opened the conference by reiterating a key message from his Kakadu opening address.
“The theme of this exercise is ‘regional cooperation through trusted and proven partnerships’,” he said.
“Our security and prosperity is tied to the security and prosperity of the region.
“Last night, I mentioned that individual connections build empathy, and that is essential to ensuring that we all have a humanistic approach to problem solving and cooperation.
“This is particularly pertinent when a mission has an HADR focus.”
The importance of military/civilian cooperation was a recurring theme throughout the day.
'Strengthening relationships between civilian and military capabilities before a humanitarian response is crucial in ensuring a collaborative effort that delivers the most effective support to those in need.'
Kath McDermott, the Acting Director Disaster Preparedness and Response from the National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre, gave a well-received brief on the Australian Medical Assistance Team, including case studies on instances when her teams had worked effectively with the military.
“Strengthening relationships between civilian and military capabilities before a humanitarian response is crucial in ensuring a collaborative effort that delivers the most effective support to those in need,” she said.
The relevance of HADR operations to the Indo-Pacific region was underscored by the Chief Officer of the Fijian Navy Commodore Humphrey Tawake, who highlighted that Fiji was no stranger to the devastating effects of natural disasters.
He recounted the Fijian perspective of the rebuild following Tropical Cyclone Winston in 2016.
The interconnectedness of the region was evident in a number of other nations who spoke about their country’s contribution to support Fiji after the cyclone.
The reciprocation of the Fijian Military when they deployed to Australia to assist in the response and recovery efforts following the 2019/20 bushfires was also highlighted.
Closing the conference, Rear Admiral Smith reiterated the importance of HADR operations.
“They are not at the opposite end of the spectrum to combat operations, they go hand in hand; humanitarian disasters are often triggered by conflict, and HADR operations, when done well, can mitigate against contributing factors to future conflicts,” Rear Admiral Smith said.
