Defense cooperation across the Pacific region is transforming, with a growing focus on personnel exchanges and cross-national recruitment to bolster interoperability. Island nations, particularly Papua New Guinea (PNG), are deepening military integration with partners such as Australia, New Zealand and the United States to enhance readiness and strategic cohesion.
From joint training to recruitment agreements, PNG is leveraging its defense partnerships to build capacity, expand operational scope and integrate into the region’s security architecture.
“Military personnel who train together develop mutual understanding, aligning tactical approaches and cultural norms, which improves coordination during joint missions,” Mihai Sora, director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Australia-based Lowy Institute, told FORUM. “This familiarity reduces friction points, accelerates response times and ensures smoother integration of capabilities across national lines.”
PNG’s growing defense role was highlighted as it hosted Tamiok Strike 2025, a two-week exercise with U.S. forces in April. The fifth iteration of the annual drills improved interoperability between the PNG Defence Force and U.S. troops across diverse terrain and operations, enhancing “mutual understanding and cooperation,” according to the U.S. Embassy in PNG.
PNG’s deepening engagement with Australia, meanwhile, is expected to be codified soon in a defense treaty. Under the proposed pact, which follows a 2023 bilateral security agreement, each nation’s troops could serve in the other’s forces.
Sora said the treaty is “a significant opportunity to strengthen regional security networks through enhanced interoperability, operational coherence and deeper mutual understanding among the defense forces of the two largest countries in the South Pacific.”
To support recruitment goals, Canberra allows eligible permanent residents from allied countries, including Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the U.S., to apply to join the Australian Defence Force. The program could be extended to PNG and other island nations.
The ongoing integration of military forces extends beyond recruitment. For example, the New Zealand Defence Force’s Mutual Assistance Programme provides training to military personnel in nations including Fiji, PNG, Tonga and Vanuatu. New Zealand and PNG signed a Status of Forces Agreement in 2018 and frequently conduct joint defense education and training.
“Integrated personnel contribute to the alignment of military doctrine,” Sora said. “They also markedly improve coordination in multinational exercises, enhancing strategic alignment and interoperability in complex, multidimensional scenarios.”
Such connections also “can create alternative ways to solve problems,” Thomas Lim, a senior analyst at Singapore’s S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, told FORUM. “So, when thorny issues come up … these relationships can really help reduce tension.”
