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The Australian nation will obtain rights to the Papua New Guinean armed forces bases and soldiers under a new agreement that will ensure the two countries support one another if one faces aggression.

“Our primary security collaboration is with Australia, a stance that is acknowledged... No other diplomatic ties have been affected,” stated the nation's head of state.

The pact will allow as many as 10,000 PNG citizens to serve in the nation's armed forces. They will also have the opportunity to obtain Australian citizenship.

Treaty Details

Dubbed the Pukpuk Pact (meaning "crocodile" in PNG pidgin), the bilateral agreement is the newest in a line of deals forged by regional states and countries competing for a defence footprint in the Pacific zone.

The pact has the ability to bite and, similar to the crocodile, its strength speaks of the interoperability and preparedness of the armed forces for hostilities.

An armed attack on one of the nations would be “a threat to the partner's stability” so both should “respond to the shared threat”.

Deeper Partnership

The deal also included expanded partnership around cyberspace and electromagnetic warfare.

In prior statements, the national security leader said that the deal would mean that the military units of both nations would be “fully combined”.

• Initially, to restrict foreign presence in PNG by guaranteeing it does not have the same level of access to infrastructure.
• Furthermore, to resolve Australia's recent difficulties recruiting for its military.
• Lastly, the pact also demonstrates a stance to other global powers.

The positive outcomes of the treaty were three-pronged, as stated by a defence analyst.

“Papua New Guinea possesses numerous capable nationals eager for these opportunities,” it was explained, stating that a significant number would be attracted by the prospects of living in Australia and potentially getting Australian citizenship.

Pacific Consequences

The deal is a component of a so-called core-and-periphery system of security agreements in the region – with the nation at the core and Pacific states being the spokes.

Some have raised issues that the agreement may compromise the nation's ‘friends to all, enemies to none’ diplomatic stance by linking PNG with Australia on every defence issue.

Both sides need greater clarity on the expectations, duties and commitments.

This agreement also included yearly combined drills which were about “strategic messaging,” to “highlight joint defence capacity and swift mobilization against outside risks”.

The agreement would help modernise the defence force, bringing a major uplift in both material and confidence.