The Chief of the Defence Force, General Angus Campbell AO DSC was joined by his counterpart, the Chief of the New Zealand Defence Force, Air Marshal Kevin Short, during a visit to the Southwest Pacific.
The Australia-New Zealand delegation met with Pacific Island leaders in Tonga, Fiji, Solomon Islands and New Caledonia..
General Campbell welcomed the opportunity to continue discussions with our Pacific partners, and reiterate Australia's commitment to a peaceful and stable Pacific region.
"I have had a number of conversations with my counterparts and colleagues in Pacific defence and security organisations about how we can continue to work together for the benefit of the region," General Campbell said.
"The strength of our Pacific relationships is visible through the support from our partners to Operation Bushfire Assist, for which all Australians are extremely grateful."
General Campbell took the opportunity to visit key defence sites, including Masefield Naval Base in Tonga and Blackrock Camp in Fiji.
At Blackrock Camp, General Campbell was greeted by members of the Australian Defence Force who are partnering with Fiji, and supporting the redevelopment of the facility into a world-class peacekeeping and operational training facility.
"I am pleased see our Defence Force working so closely with members of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, as well as industry, at Blackrock Camp. They are developing a world class peacekeeping training facility and in doing so, also transferring project management and local industry skills," General Campbell said.
"The new infrastructure will feature a humanitarian assistance and disaster relief warehouse, and facilities that will be used to build military and police response capability in this region."
The Chief of the Defence Force will host Pacific security leaders in Australia at the Joint Heads of Pacific Security meeting later this year.
