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The Australian Defence Vessel (ADV) Reliant has departed Darwin on its second deployment of 2025, continuing its vital support role across the Pacific as part of Australia’s enduring commitment to regional stability, security and cooperation with its Pacific partners.
Over the next three months, Reliant – crewed by Australian personnel including a Royal Australian Navy liaison officer – will visit several Pacific Island countries to deliver essential equipment and humanitarian supplies, responding directly to needs identified by partner nations.
This deployment reflects Australia’s long-standing and growing engagement in the Pacific, a region of strategic importance where Australia continues to deepen defence, development and disaster resilience partnerships. Through initiatives like the Pacific Step-up and the Pacific Maritime Security Program, Australia has reaffirmed its role as a responsive and trusted partner to Pacific nations.
Chief of Joint Operations, Vice Admiral Justin Jones, RAN, said ADV Reliant plays a critical role in Australia’s broader regional support framework, saying, “Our region faces frequent and often concurrent threats and disasters, affecting multiple nations simultaneously and in different ways. The Pacific family is best placed to respond to the needs of our region, and ADV Reliant embodies Australia’s commitment to shared resilience, preparedness and rapid response.”
During this mission, ADV Reliant will deliver humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) supplies to Fiji and protective equipment to His Majesty’s Armed Forces of Tonga. The latter is in support of Tonga’s participation in Exercise Talisman Sabre 2025, a major multinational military exercise co-hosted by Australia and the United States, involving key Pacific and Indo-Pacific partners.
VADM Jones added, “The Pacific has a proud record of working together across shared security and humanitarian challenges – something that will only grow stronger in the years ahead.”
In addition to its HADR role, Reliant will deliver essential stores and spare parts to Fiji, Tonga and Tuvalu to support the operation of their Guardian Class patrol boats. These vessels were provided by Australia through the Pacific Maritime Security Program to bolster maritime surveillance and sovereignty across the region.
ADV Reliant is one of Australia’s most active regional support platforms, deployed for up to 300 days a year using a multi-crew rotation model. Its wide-ranging tasks include search and rescue operations, maritime surveillance, transportation of vital cargo and support for emergency responses.
On previous missions, Reliant has delivered fire trucks to Kiribati, emergency service infrastructure to Tonga and HADR stores to Solomon Islands. It has also conducted hydrographic survey operations to enhance maritime safety and navigational awareness near Pacific island ports.
As Australia continues to reinforce its Pacific partnerships, ADV Reliant stands as a symbol of enduring cooperation and practical support, ensuring that Australia remains a reliable and ready partner in times of need.
