Pacific security leaders in Brisbane issue joint communiqué on Pacific-led cooperation
Pacific security chiefs wrapped up three days of talks in Brisbane with a joint communiqué that urges a Pacific-led, people-centred approach to regional security and stronger intelligence and information sharing to meet emerging threats. The eighth annual Joint Heads of Pacific Security (JHoPS) meeting ran from 28 to 30 April 2026.
Heads of police, military, customs and immigration agencies from across the Pacific attended, alongside observers from Japan and the United States.
Representatives from the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Oceania Customs Organisation (OCO), the Pacific Fusion Centre (PFC), the Pacific Immigration Development Community (PIDC), the Pacific Islands Chiefs of Police Secretariat (PICPS), the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA) and the Pacific Security College (PSC) also took part.
The meeting was co-hosted by the Chief of the Defence Force, Australian Defence Force, Admiral David Johnston AO RAN; the Commissioner of the Australian Border Force, Commissioner Gavan Reynolds AO; and the Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police, Commissioner Krissy Barrett APM.
Delegates were welcomed by Special Envoy for Defence, Veterans' Affairs and Northern Australia, Luke Gosling OAM MP, and Samoa's Minister for Customs, Honourable Masinalupe Leatuvao Makesi Pisi, opened the proceedings.
With the theme of "enabling collective action", discussions were framed by the Pacific Islands Forum directive to develop practical operational initiatives to address regional security challenges, outlined by PIFS Deputy Secretary General Esala Nayasi. Viliame Bovoro, Director of the Pacific Fusion Centre, briefed participants on security trends across the region.
Delegates emphasised security as a shared responsibility that should be Pacific-led and people-centred, and underscored the need to work across sectors to strengthen coordination of operational activities in ways that reinforce national sovereignty. They recognised the value of existing mechanisms and called for deeper cooperation through intelligence and information sharing, as well as systematic sharing of lessons learned.
Participants highlighted the need to map and harness the capabilities each member possesses and to adopt common approaches that build interoperability and enhance collective action. Members noted that strong governance should underpin regional cooperation.
They emphasised mainstreaming Women, Peace and Security into national and regional policies, treating cross-sectoral cooperation as a force multiplier, and the influential role of leadership in mentoring and role modelling.
JHoPS Principals undertook guided tours of Gallipoli Barracks and the Pinkenba Hub, and received briefings on two Pacific-led deployable capabilities: the Pacific Response Group (PRG) and the Pacific Police Support Group (PPSG). Advisers participated in tabletop exercises covering a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) scenario and responses to transnational organised crime (TNOC).
Those in the TNOC exercise reflected on the need for a broader framework of guidelines to address multi-regional initiatives, including leveraging existing arrangements such as the Niue Treaty Subsidiary Agreement (NTSA).
Advisers in the HADR exercise highlighted the need for a comprehensive framework to facilitate regional support through coordinated mechanisms that enable collaborative responses before, during and after a crisis, in ways that preserve sovereignty. Advisers also noted the value of sharing reflections after a disaster response operation to identify strengths and lessons learned and to shape future responses.
In line with the call at the 2025 Pacific Islands Forum Leaders' Meeting for a coordinated regional response to addressing transnational organised crime, particularly illegal drug movements, members talked about the importance of developing an intelligence-led region.