Military, civilian, and non-governmental leaders from 20 countries gathered in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, June 7–8, 2026, for the 3rd Summit of the Indo-Pacific Health Alliance for Security (IPhas). Hosted by the Malaysian Armed Forces ahead of the Global Health Security Conference (GHSC), the summit strengthened regional collaboration and advanced shared approaches to health security under the theme, “Civil-Military Collaboration for Whole-of-Society Resilience.”
Co-chaired by Lt. Gen. Dato’ Zulkeffeli bin Mat Jusoh, director general of Health Services Division, Malaysian Armed Forces, Rear Adm. Sonya Bennett, commander joint health and surgeon general, Australian Defence Force, and Capt. Peter Roberts, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, command surgeon, the two-day event focused on the intersection of national security and health security.
“Health Security underlies medical readiness, and that medical readiness is the foundation of a resilient self-defense capability for all nations,” said Capt. Roberts.
Leaders engaged in critical discussions regarding biosurveillance, key planning factors for impactful civil-military health engagements, and the mental health impacts of disasters on military readiness. On Day 1, the alliance also reviewed its expanding regional impact with insights from the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, which joined in 2025.
“We are here to strengthen a collective approach to health security – one that ensures when the next crisis emerges, we are prepared, coordinated, and able to respond together effectively and decisively,” said Rear Adm. Bennett.
The event culminated in a rigorous, multinational functional exercise where participants stress-tested responses to two complex, fictional scenarios:
Scenario 1: A severe natural disaster complicated by a simultaneous infectious disease outbreak.
Scenario 2: A catastrophic radiological incident at a major regional shipping hub.
The exercises successfully identified and bridged critical coordination gaps, ensuring defense forces can seamlessly support civilian authorities during large-scale emergencies without compromising primary national security missions. Following the drills, participants established actionable health security goals to implement within their home agencies.
This event continues the momentum created by the open IPhas session at the Indo-Pacific Military Health Exchange (IPMHE) in Yokohama, Japan, in December 2025. Building on the early evaluation results presented at IPMHE, this event includes a comprehensive evaluation plan designed to ensure regional stakeholder priorities are reflected in future IPhas events, and that the alliance can measurably demonstrate strategic and technical impact.
As the only comprehensive military-civilian health security framework in the region, IPhas bridges a vital gap by fostering sustained coordination between defense forces and civilian health authorities to mitigate global health security threats and enhance regional resilience.
The seventh regional event since the alliance’s founding underscores an enduring international commitment to building country-owned health security capabilities for a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific.
“I am confident that the engagements, deliberations and partnerships forged during this conference will contribute meaningfully to advancing regional health security and resilience,” said Lt. Gen. Dato’ Zulkeffeli bin Mat Jusoh, director general of health services, Malaysian Armed Forces.
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About IPhas: Founded in 2022 by the Australian Defence Force and INDOPACOM in partnership with regional stakeholders, IPhas serves as a sustained voice and professional network for the defense community within civilian-led health security efforts.