Amid rising strategic competition, the pursuit of a security treaty and a long-standing shared history have made Australia the security partner of choice for Papua New Guinea. PNG formally remains a ‘friend to all, enemy to none’ and is open to assistance from others, particularly in areas of economic development. But Prime Minister James Marape has said that ‘closer to home, shared territory needs to be protected, defended and policed together’, with a stronger focus on regional cooperation and we can expect future security force partnerships to reflect that.

Assistance and agreements with PNG should align with Marape’s vision of a self-reliant PNG and move partnerships towards replacing the donor-aid recipient dynamic with equal status.

The Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) comprises of around 3,600 personnel and has historical foundations in the Australian Army dating back to World War II, when its principal focus was on external defence. Now, the PNGDF is largely accepted as having a law-and-order role to assist in maintaining internal security alongside the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (RPNGC)—the national police force that consists of approximately 6,000 members.

The diagram below gives an overview of PNG’s key security partners and the types of support they provide to its security forces. The icons don’t reflect the full scale of assistance. For example, support could involve a single event with a specific outcome or a comprehensive, ongoing support package.

Source: authors

Australia provides extensive security support to Pacific island countries through such mechanisms as the Defence Cooperation Program and Pacific Maritime Security Program. Through these, Australia has supported the redevelopment of PNG’s Lombrum Naval Base, delivered four Guardian-class patrol boats and two PAC 750XL aircraft. Australia has also committed $200 million support to PNG’s national security priorities under the Bilateral Security Agreement and provided funding to PNG for the first Pacific Policing Initiative Centre of Excellence.

In addition to the landmark security agreement and $600 million National Rugby League deal, Marape has also initiated discussions with Australia on a new defence treaty—including the possibility of recruiting Papua New Guineans into the Australian Defence Force. The current security agreement commits to deeper information sharing and joint consultations and coordination on any security threat.

China donated vehicles worth 17.5 million kina (A$6.44 million) to the PNG Defence Force in 2017. Despite 2024 talks for China to provide police training and equipment, an underpinning policing agreement has not been reached.

New Zealand has engaged in joint training exercises with the PNGDF and has assisted community policing in Bougainville from 2014 to 2019 with training and embedded advisers.

In its largest offer of support to the Pacific outside of the states of the Compacts of Free Association, the United States has committed to providing more than US$864 million in infrastructure and military training over 10 years under their Defence Cooperation Agreement. Although the agreement faced notable political backlash and legal challenge in PNG, Port Moresby is likely to continue building a strong partnership with the US, even if a treaty with Australia is signed. The US military engages with the PNGDF through joint maritime patrols and provide real-time surveillance technology. The US also has a ship-rider agreement which enables PNG defence personnel to use US Coast Guard assets to enforce maritime law within its exclusive economic zone.

Other actors have provided notable support to PNG’s security as well. Japan has contributed humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) assistance through the provision of emergency supplies and financial support and has provided training for HADR and to the PNGDF band. Britain signed a status of forces agreement with PNG in 2023 to strengthen maritime security and HADR assistance. And France has engaged in joint military exercises with PNGDF and provided HADR assistance under the FRANZ arrangement, alongside Australia and New Zealand.

PNG has signalled that its partnership with Australia will expand and has agreed to not sign any type of security pact with China as a condition of receiving an National Rugby League team. Formalised veto powers for Australia on some of PNG’s security activities may form part of the planned treaty. However, Marape will likely remain open to coordination on development and economic support from all willing donors.

In the domestic sphere, Bougainville’s intentions to become independent by 2027 shouldn’t be forgotten. Given Australia’s deep security partnership with PNG and historical misuse of Australian-provided equipment against Bougainvilleans, there may be some wariness towards deepening security ties, that will require strong communication and collaboration between all parties to alleviate.

At ASPI’s Defence Conference on 4 June, PNG Defence Minister Billy Joseph highlighted the importance of shared security when he described ‘the security and defence of both Australia and Papua New Guinea are inextricably intertwined’. Australia should continue to evolve its partnership with PNG while also supporting its desire to advance as a self-reliant bilateral partner. In doing so, Australia should strike a balance between staying top security partner while also giving space for other partners to build PNG’s capability even after a treaty is signed.

ASPI’s Friends to all: Competing for Pacific security partnerships series can be found here.