Australia, New Zealand Sign Plan Tasman Naval Pact

On September 21, 2026, Rear Admiral Darren Grogan, Deputy Chief of the Royal Australian Navy, and Commodore Karl Woodhead, Deputy Chief of the Royal New Zealand Navy, signed Plan Tasman. The agreement covers personnel, training, capability development, warfighting, engineering, regulation, information sharing and international engagement. It builds on the Tasman Navy Framework the two countries' naval chiefs signed in November 2024 and on more than 160 years of maritime cooperation. Both navies issued statements after the signing. Grogan said the plan builds on generations of navy cooperation and gives a practical framework for joint training, operations and capability work so the forces stay ready to operate side by side on shared challenges for regional security, stability and prosperity. Woodhead said their maritime relationship began more than 160 years ago and was strengthened through war and peacetime. He said that as the region becomes increasingly contested against a deteriorating global security environment, strategic guidance is to deepen and formalise the alliance. "Plan Tasman is exactly that, signalling a shift from a history of cooperation based on tradition to integration by design," Woodhead said. No contested claims found in available coverage.