A new international national security college is to be established by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.
Announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Marise Payne, the college will be aimed at bolstering security cooperation in the Pacific.
Senator Payne said the college was a transformative initiative under the Pacific Step-up program and would provide strategic security and leadership training to Pacific Security Agencies.
“It has been developed in consultation with Pacific Island Forum members, who have identified training needs and priorities,” Senator Payne said.
“The college will establish a pool of technical advisers to support security policy development and implementation in the region.”
She said the college’s eventual alumni network would work to help Pacific Island Forum countries share knowledge and build a community of practice on regional security issues.
She said it would support close collaboration on cross-border matters.
“This initiative will complement our Pacific Fusion Centre, which will inform responses to the security challenges our region faces, including illegal fishing, people smuggling and drug trafficking,” Senator Payne said.
“Through these initiatives, Australia is working closely with regional partners to address the shared security challenges identified in the Boe Declaration on Regional Security,” she said.
