With the Pacific entering another high-risk cyclone season, the 15-member Pacific Response Group (PRG) is conducting training aboard the Australian Defence Vessel ADV Reliant, which is currently docked at Suva’s King’s Wharf.
The Pacific Response Group is a regional asset that supports civilian-led Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) missions across the Pacific at the request of an affected state.
PRG Commander Lieutenant Colonel Scott Hill says the work they do collectively in times of need and disaster was recognised in October last year during the South Pacific Defence meeting, which is made up of defence ministers from Tonga, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, France, New Zealand, Australia, and Chile.
He says the six nations, along with Chile, can provide a coordinated, consolidated, integrated and interoperable response that would help the affected nation and also reduce the burden by having a collective regional effort.
Lieutenant Colonel Hill says the group was formed last year for about six months during the high-risk weather season, which ended in March. However, members have remained on call from their home countries in case of any disaster.
He adds that the strength of the PRG lies not only in the military skills each nation brings, but also in their shared cultural experiences.
Australia's High Commissioner to Fiji, Peter Roberts, says ADV Reliant represents Australia’s commitment to the region to respond to disasters.
He says the vessel has everything needed to assist during a disaster.
Roberts says the vessel can produce its own water, provide medical care, and deliver emergency supplies to any Pacific state in need of assistance.
