Papua New Guinea (PNG) hosted a key Indo-Pacific health security alliance (IPhsa) event with co-chairs the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and the United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) in Port Moresby in early May 2025.
The multilateral event celebrated PNG’s 50 years of independence and brought together 150 representatives from more than 15 Allied and Partner nations to enhance collective readiness against health security threats. Representatives from international organizations and nongovernmental organizations also participated.
IPhsa, founded in 2022, “is a platform for unity and resolve — a coalition of like-minded defence forces, health leaders, and humanitarian actors brought together under the shared understanding that health security is national security,” PNG Defence Force (PNGDF) Director of Health Services Lt. Col. Peter Kaminiel said, reiterating the theme of the 2025 event, “Health Security is National Security: Civil-Military Collaboration Against Health Threats.”
The PNGDF formally joined Australia and the U.S. in IPhsa during the meeting and more Indo-Pacific nations plan to join the alliance in the coming year.
Joining IPhsa “affirms our commitment to interoperability, to resilience, and to the collective protection of our people,” Kaminiel said. “We see IPhsa as a strategic platform to elevate our capability, strengthen our partnerships, and deepen our contribution to regional stability.”
The IPhsa meeting improved coordination and collaboration between military and civilian sectors, which is essential for robust planning and preparedness. Besides PNG, participants hailed from Australia, Fiji, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, New Caledonia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Samoa, Singapore, Tonga, Vietnam and the U.S.
“Collectively, defence, and security sectors can bring unique capabilities to support our civilian partners and our broader region, but more work is needed to fully understand, harness and integrate those strengths. Initiatives like this meeting are instrumental in building that cooperation,” Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Air Commodore Nicole dos Santos, RAAF Director of General Operational Health and the Air Force Health Service, said in her opening remarks.
“Since its inception IPhsa has served as a cornerstone of regional health security efforts, embodying its vision to integrate civil-military cooperation and foster sustained health security partnerships,” USINDOPACOM Command Surgeon U.S. Navy Capt. Peter Roberts said at the meeting. “IPhsa has grown into a platform for meaningful collaboration, bringing together diverse expertise to tackle the shared challenges of our time.”
Participants had discussions and conducted a multinational exercise designed to improve coordinated responses to public health emergencies. This exercise focused on clarifying roles and responsibilities, critical coordination processes, and resource contributions during disaster and health emergencies. It also emphasized rapid personnel deployment and the integration of interagency coordination into emergency plans for more effective responses. Each participant returned home with actionable recommendations derived from the exercise.
“We have demonstrated that in the Indo-Pacific, cooperation is not just possible — it is already underway,” Australia’s dos Santos said in closing remarks. “The health threats we face do not recognise our borders, ideologies, or economic status. Our only defence is a coordinated, united, and forward-looking response and in this meeting, that spirit of collective responsibility has shone through.”
This collaboration has strengthened the region’s ability to prevent, detect and respond to health security threats, thereby protecting lives, economies, sovereignty and national security in keeping with IPsha’s goals to build partnerships, counter harmful influences and enhance readiness, contributing to peace, security and prosperity in a Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
IPhsa has demonstrated the power of collaboration in addressing health security challenges. The ADF and USINDOPACOM have worked closely with regional partners to develop the alliance, learning from each partner nation’s best practices to address shared needs and gaps.
IPhsa has co-hosted seven events in the region and virtually, promoting partnership and collaboration in developing country-owned health security capabilities.
