Mr Marvin Girelli1
1University Of French Polynesia, Punaauia, France
Biography:
Marvin Girelli is a PhD candidate at the University of French Polynesia, specializing in international relations and defence strategy. Marvin's research examines France’s Indo-Pacific strategy, focusing on its security challenges and strategic priorities in the region. It is structured around two key axes: the first analyses France’s presence in the Pacific since the end of nuclear testing, exploring its evolving strategic posture; the second investigates France’s relationships with its international partners, particularly Australia, highlighting bilateral cooperation in defence and regional security.
Abstract:
Australia’s strategic position in the Indo-Pacific region highlights its pivotal role in regional security studies, both as a key actor and as a partner that leverages strong partnerships to build a robust and cooperative security framework.
Australia is committed to deepening its engagement with Pacific nations to support a region that is strategically secure, economically stable, and politically sovereign. Through programs like the Defence Cooperation Program and the Pacific Maritime Security Program, Australia works closely with Pacific partners to address their priorities, especially during the COVID-19 recovery. Enhanced collaboration includes increasing strategic presence, conducting joint exercises, and building infrastructure to strengthen regional security capabilities. These efforts underscore the critical importance of Australia’s relationship with Pacific nations, fostering stronger ties and mutual resilience to address shared challenges and maintain stability across the region.
This panel will examine the evolution of Australia’s strategic partnerships, focusing on their significance in addressing emerging threats, promoting multilateral cooperation, and enhancing interoperability among regional actors.
To illustrate this point, the panel will examine the mutual interdependence between Australia and some of its Pacific partners, including France, Southeast Asia nations, and Pacific Island countries. Australia’s partnerships are instrumental in addressing shared security challenges, enhancing intelligence sharing, and strengthening multilateral cooperation. For its partners, collaboration with Australia offers three key benefits: accessing to its modern military capabilities for enhanced regional defence, leveraging its strategic geographic positioning to secure maritime routes, and benefiting from its capacity-building support to address broader challenges such as climate resilience and disaster preparedness.