21 May 2025
The Australian Civil Military Centre (ACMC) played a key role in Exercise Croix du Sud, a biennial multinational exercise led by French Armed Forces in New Caledonia to prepare for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief across the Pacific.
Through the exercise, ACMC strengthened civil-military coordination and cooperation in response to severe weather-related emergencies across the region.
As a member of the Combined Joint Task Force’s Crisis Management Cell, ACMC participated in a series of six scenario-based workshops, simulating realistic post-disaster environments after major weather events in Wallis and Futuna.
Conducted alongside regional military and civilian partners, the workshops focused on a range of challenges, including search and rescue operations, restoring freedom of movement, managing infrastructure damage, responding to disease outbreaks, addressing population displacement and mitigating environmental damage.
In addition to its planning role, ACMC delivered pre-deployment briefings to the land groups preparing to deploy to Wallis and Futuna. These sessions emphasised best practices for engaging with government agencies and non-governmental organisations, ensuring a coordinated, community-focused response during crisis situations.
“Exercises like Croix du Sud are invaluable,” ACMC’s Director of Partnerships and Preparedness Peter Giugni said.
“They allow us to share our lessons and best practice with military planners and operators, advocating for a holistic and civilian-led disaster response that prioritises the needs of affected communities.”
'We’re training for disasters that are sadly becoming more common – cyclones, floods and other severe weather events.'
The scenarios explored during Exercise Croix du Sud reflected increasingly frequent climate-driven emergencies affecting Pacific nations.
ACMC’s primary focus throughout the exercise was fostering effective civil-military coordination.
“We’re training for disasters that are sadly becoming more common – cyclones, floods and other severe weather events,” ACMC’s Assistant Director for Exercises and Plans Damian Eaton said.
“The key to success in these situations lies in deploying the right resources quickly and in a coordinated way, drawing on both civilian and military capabilities across the region.”
A significant outcome from Exercise Croix du Sud was ACMC’s contribution to the development of a new guidebook for the French Armed Forces in New Caledonia, designed to enhance their future disaster response efforts in the region.
With the Pacific region facing heightened disaster risks, ACMC’s involvement in multinational exercises such as Croix du Sud reinforces the importance of strong partnerships, joint planning and mutual understanding between all involved in humanitarian response.
