Australia Pulls Papua New Guineans Into Its Soldiers, Opposing China's Influence In The Pacific

Illustration of the army or military. (Unsplash-Philip Andrejevic)

JAKARTA - Australia opens up the possibility of Papua New Guinea citizens becoming its troops in a defense agreement planned to be signed this week. The agreement is seen as an attempt to counter China's growing influence in the Pacific.

The new defense agreement is planned to be signed by Australian Prime Minister (PM) Anthony Albanese and Papua New Guinea PM James Marape on Wednesday at Port Moresby, as part of the 50th anniversary of Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia.

Australian Defense Minister Richard Marles described this as a "historic."

He said the Australian military has been open to attracting foreign nationals into his military ranks since the current year, such as citizens from New Zealand, Canada, Britain, and the United States.

"Currently, we said we would target the Pacific," he told ABC national television station Monday, September 15, quoted from AFP.

"The agreement we will sign with PNG considers this," he continued.

"There is still a lot to be done to get on that path, but we are certainly interested in how we can recruit Papua New Guineans directly to the ADF," added Marles, referring to the Australian military.

This agreement is a continuation of a comprehensive security agreement signed by the two countries in 2023.

Australian media said the deal would allow Papuan New Guinea citizens to serve in the Australian Defense Force with the same salaries as other members and start the path to citizenship.