Tongan military, police, fire, health and emergency management agencies have tested their coordination in a major disaster response exercise with the Nevada National Guard, simulating the first 48 hours after a magnitude 8.0 earthquake and tsunami.
Exercise Taufatahi 2026 brought together His Majesty’s Armed Forces (HMAF), the National Disaster Risk Management Office (NDRMO) and local and international partners to test emergency procedures, communication and the coordination of resources during a large-scale disaster.
Maj. Michelle Tucay, deputy commander of the 92nd Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package (CERFP), arrives on Pongaimatu Island, off the coast of Nuku’alofa, Tonga, Sept. 23, 2026, to observe Tonga Fire Services Emergency Response Team (ERT) personnel conduct search and rescue operations during an exercise. Tucay observed the team as they systematically searched the island, located and triaged casualties, and practiced moving patients through d
The exercise focused on strengthening Tonga’s national disaster response system, with NDRMO retaining responsibility for civilian-led coordination and HMAF providing military support.
Lazarus Vaipulu, NDRMO’s principal emergency operations and response manager and head of its Early Warning and Response Division, said the exercise aimed to test national response systems and strengthen coordination and communication.
He said the exercise also allowed Tonga to assess how it could access foreign military assistance through established partnerships while maintaining national leadership of its response.
Tongan agencies lead response
Nevada National Guard personnel provided technical expertise and supported exercise control, while Tongan agencies led the activities.
Lt. Col. Chris LeRoy, Nevada National Guard State Partnership Program director, said the exercise was designed to be led and controlled by Tonga, with international partners providing support.
Inspector Selemaia Kissing, director of the Tonga Police Maritime Group, navigates a police boat carrying Nevada National Guard senior leaders and personnel from the Japan Ministry of Defense near Nuku’alofa, Tonga, Sept. 23, 2026. The transit brought partner-force leaders and personnel together on the water while demonstrating Tonga’s maritime response capabilities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman First Class Aaron Lopez)
The exercise included a maritime search-and-rescue scenario on Pangaimotu Island, where Tonga Police transported responders by boat and Tonga Fire and Emergency Services personnel searched for simulated casualties.
Medical personnel conducted triage and treatment before casualties were transferred to a collection point at the Navy wharf. Responders also had to reassess priorities as exercise controllers changed patients’ conditions.
Maj. Michelle Tucay, deputy commander of the Nevada National Guard’s 92nd Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and High-Yield Explosive Enhanced Response Force Package, said the exercise tested search and rescue, casualty extraction, triage and evacuation.
Nevada personnel also shared experience in interagency coordination and the Incident Command System, offering observations on communication and teamwork.
Lt. Col. Michael Reed, commander of the 152nd Airlift Wing Medical Detachment 1, and Sione Kava, a fire officer with the Tonga Fire and Emergency Services Emergency Response Team (ERT), review a first aid kit at Masefield Naval Base in Nuku’alofa, Tonga, Sept. 22, 2026. Reed identified the various bandages and medical supplies in the kit and explained their intended uses for treating traumatic injuries, providing the ERT with practical knowledge to support effective casualty care during disaster response
Building on past disaster experience
The exercise builds on Tonga’s experience responding to the January 2022 Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunami, when HMAF personnel helped clear volcanic ash from Fua’amotu International Airport’s runway to enable humanitarian airlifts.
Taufatahi 2026 provided an opportunity to practise coordination between national agencies and international partners before another disaster occurs.
The exercise also allowed observers to identify areas for further development, while giving Tongan agencies the opportunity to demonstrate their emergency response procedures and capabilities.
The effectiveness of the exercise will ultimately be measured by how its lessons are applied to strengthen Tonga’s preparedness for future emergencies.
