The Hon Richard Marles MP
Deputy Prime Minister
Minister for Defence

The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence, Richard Marles, is travelling to Chile for the 2025 South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting (SPDMM).

SPDMM provides a forum for regional defence ministers to enhance cooperation and drive Pacific-led responses to shared regional challenges. In its 10th iteration, this year’s meeting theme is ‘Integrated South Pacific’.

While in Chile, the Deputy Prime Minister will also conduct bilateral meetings with his Pacific counterparts to discuss opportunities to deepen cooperation, and advance the continuing evolution of Pacific-led responses to regional security challenges, including natural disasters, transnational organised crime and climate change.

SPDMM member countries are Australia, Chile, Fiji, France, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Tonga. Officials from Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States will attend as observers, with Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Waqa attending as a special guest.

Quotes attributable to Deputy Prime Minister, Richard Marles:

“This will be my fourth South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting and I look forward to meeting my counterparts in Chile.

“This forum will provide an opportunity defence partners in our region to discuss emerging trends in security challenges, and develop Pacific-led responses to shared challenges in order to support a peaceful, secure and prosperous Indo-Pacific.”