Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea โ Australia and Papua New Guinea are set to enter a landmark defence treaty that will legally bind the two countries to defend each other in the event of a military attack, the ABC has revealed.
The agreement, expected to be signed this week, will also grant the Australian Defence Force unrestricted access to designated military facilities and areas across Papua New Guinea.
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The treaty coincides with PNGโs 50th anniversary of independence, marking a significant shift in its regional security posture. Multiple PNG ministers confirmed on Monday that cabinet had endorsed the pact, though Prime Minister James Marape said on Tuesday that the approval process was still ongoing.
Known as the Pukpuk Treatyโafter the Tok Pisin word for crocodileโthe pact is described in cabinet documents as a measure to ensure both militaries are โbattle-readyโ for any future threat. The submission states: โIt has the ability to bite and like a crocodile, its bite force speaks of the interoperability and preparedness of the military for war.โ
Mutual Defence and Military Integration
According to a copy of the agreement seen by the ABC, both countries acknowledge that an armed attack on one would endanger the security of the other, committing them to act against any โcommon danger.โ
The treaty will also enable reciprocal recruitment of citizens into each otherโs defence forces, annual joint military drills dubbed the Pukpuk Exercises, and collaboration in areas such as cyberspace and electromagnetic warfare.
Prime Minister Marape stressed the need to strengthen PNGโs military capacity. โIf someone chose to invade our country right now, I donโt have the capacity to defend you,โ he told journalists. โI have a moral obligation to build my military to a level that I can have the capacity to defend Papua New Guinea, every child.โ
Strategic Context
The agreement comes amid intensifying geopolitical competition in the Pacific, with Australia and the United States seeking to counter growing Chinese influence in the region.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, joined by Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles and Pacific Minister Pat Conroy, arrived in Port Moresby on Monday ahead of independence celebrations. Albanese described the treaty as โa very significant upgradeโ of the defence relationship.
โIt provides for mutual defence, which means we will provide support for each other,โ he said. โIt provides for integration of our interoperability, our assets, and our respective defence forces.โ
Concerns Over Sovereignty
Despite government backing, the treaty has sparked debate within PNGโs security community. Former PNG Defence Force commanders have voiced concern that deeper integration with Australia could compromise national sovereignty and contradict PNGโs long-standing foreign policy of non-alignmentโโfriends to all and enemies to none.โ
Retired Commodore Peter Ilau, Defence Force commander from 2001 to 2010, warned: โThe most important question here is, who takes ownership of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force? Loyalty number one must be to Papua New Guinea.โ
Former commander Jerry Singirok said PNG should avoid being drawn into strategic rivalries. โI think weโve been blinded by the fact that Australia is seeing China as a threat,โ he argued.
Chinaโs environment minister Huang Runqiu, visiting Port Moresby on Tuesday, declined to comment directly on the proposed treaty, saying it was unrelated to his delegationโs talks.
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