FOCUS IN 2026

From July 27-30, 2026, 117 participants from 32 delegations within the Indo-Pacific Region contributed to FOCUS IN 26, a civilian-military (civ-mil) event hosted by the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management & Humanitarian Assistance (CFE-DM) with planning support from the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and Australia Defence Force (ADF). The Indo-Pacific region faces an increasingly complex and non-traditional threat landscape driven by extreme weather events, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities, and energy insecurities that threaten broader geopolitical stability. Historically, regional response mechanisms have operated in isolated tracks, leaving a critical operational gap between defense forces and civilian organizations. The main purpose of FOCUS IN 26 was to improve collaboration and strengthen civ-mil partnerships to address non-traditional security threats and to recognize non-traditional security threats as the national security threats that they are. Tellus was honored to support CFE-DM with this important event.

To ensure sustained coordination and avoid duplication of efforts, the event integrated expertise from prominent regional and international bodies, such as UN OCHA, UNDP, Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility (PRIF), and many more. This event uniquely serves as a platform for civilian and military leaders to strengthen capabilities, improve regional resilience, and foster engagement and coordination. The discussions and exercises yielded critical insights into the shifting reality of addressing non-traditional security threats. For military and defense participants, extreme weather, energy grid failures, critical infrastructure failures should no longer be treated as secondary “soft” missions but recognized as foundational threats to regional stability.

The four-day event was centered around the following priority themes: 1. Natural Disasters, Environmental Issues & Mitigation; 2. Energy Security; 3. Cascading Crises, Critical Infrastructure, and National Security; 4. Regional Security Coordination and; 5. Partnerships for Solutions and Resilience. The format featured keynote addresses, panel discussions, scenario-based exercises, trainings, and breakout workshops that promoted practical skills, actionable planning, project development, and long-term partnerships. Sessions included training with Pacific Disaster Center's (PDC) DisasterAware platform, contingency planning development with the U.S. Coast Guard, natural disaster response prioritization exercises, basic and advanced AI training, and capability mapping exercises. Country representatives shared coordination experiences from real disasters, while sessions on disaster displacement, submarine cable protection, and heat injury management broadened the group's understanding of emerging threats. On the final day, attendees developed country self-assessments, project proposals, and provided recommendations to refine the Partnership’s governance structure, to advance long-term collaboration and project implementation beyond the event.

The Tellus Team supported CFE-DM with organizing the entirety of the event including but not limited to agenda ideation, designing workshop exercises and audience engagement opportunities, developing graphics and visuals, designing and executing the Day 3 Regional Security Cooperation session, coordinating all participant travel, and managing all of the vendors. The event was well received by all of those in attendance and Tellus and the event participants look forward to aligning with regional institutions, continuing to share resources and knowledge, showcasing diverse subject matter expertise, and strengthening institutional relationships as part of the broader Partnership and future events.