“The Regional Environmental Security Forum is an outstanding collaborative venue to share lessons learned across joint services, intergovernmental, interagency and multi-national partnerships,” stated Brigadier General Jeff Milhorn, Commander, Pacific Ocean Division, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.  “We are then able to transition from a community of interest into a community of action, honing in on topics of direct response and future focus areas of potential civil-military cooperation and collaboration.”

The RESF featured subject matter expert presentations, work group activities, panel sessions, a site visit to Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park, and a workshop on Illegal, Unreported and/or Unregulated (IUU) fishing.  Participants also shared poster boards on ongoing or active environmental security projects, and held side discussions on partnering and collaboration.  “The interagency cross-talk, as well as the ability to learn from some many different countries, was tremendous,” stated LTCOL Jone Tavainavesi from the RFMF.  “When you think of the environment, the military is often left out of the conversation.  However, we have a lot to offer, and this forum helped emphasize the opportunities for partnership in Fiji and beyond.”

Each day of the event featured a senior civilian or military leader to moderate an environmental security theme.  The Sustainable Ocean Resources day was chaired Deputy Assistant Secretary Russell Smith from the US National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).  Dr. Sangeeta Mangubhai from the Wildlife Conservation Society – Fiji led the Protecting the Coastal Zone theme.  Resiliency to Extreme and Frequent Weather Events was guided by Commodore Ian Murray from the Australia Defence Force.  Commodore Murray emphasized in his theme introduction, “Climate change is a threat-multiplier, which can undermine cultural, social, political, economic and environmental systems.  As a consequence, the ability of vulnerable communities to manage, adapt and recover from these threats is greatly dependent on resilience.” Commodore Murray went on to state that, “we cannot replace like with like.  We must build back better.”

Moving forward, USPACOM will continue to partner with RFMF, as well as others, by fielding projects on the topics discussed at the RESF.  This includes potential collaboration on oil spill response, waste management, alternative energy solutions, maritime security, disaster risk reduction, and integrated water resource management.  “We are going to take the great ideas developed from the forum, prioritize them, and move out with implementation in the coming months,” stated Mr. Christopher Sholes, USPACOM’s Environmental Program Manager.  “We will utilize experts from across the DoD enterprise to start working with other militaries and civilian institutions to bring action.”