The Land element is the Army. Its flagships are the two Infantry battalions: the First Royal Pacific Islands Regiment and 2RPIR based at Taurama Barracks in Port Moresby and Moem Barracks in Wewak respectively.
The two battalions are also responsible for running the country’s two infantry Forward Operations Bases (FOBs), one located in Kiunga in Western Province for 1RPIR and the other in Vanimo, West Sepik Province, for 2RPIR. Soldiers from the two infantry battalions are deployed to the two FOBs and serve four to six month stints there.
Their primary role is to patrol strategic areas of parts of the 700km land border between PNG and Indonesia, gather military intelligence and report back to HQ, carry the flag, promote government’s presence in remote villages, engage in disaster and emergency duties and such other tasks as directed by their commanding officers at the FOBs and back at headquarters from time to time.
The Sea element or the Navy consists of the Forward Patrol Boat Base in Lombrum, Lorengau, in Manus, the Small Boats Squadron and the Landing Craft Base in Port Moresby.
The Air element, known is the Air Transport Wing or Squadron, operates out of its HQ at Jackson’s Airport in Port Moresby.
While successive governments since independence should have been building on this proud tradition by supporting the Defence Force with adequate annual budget appropriations in the last 37 years, they have allowed the Defence Force to bleed to a stage where it is no longer effective as a defence force to serve the Government and the people of PNG.
Former Defence Force commander, Brig Gen Jerry Singirok’s commentary in the Post Courier last week about the Defence Force and what the previous Mekere Government and Australian Governments have done is a serious indictment on both Waigani and Canberra.
The Defence Force has been reduced to such a stage where it does not have the capabilities to effectively carry out its constitutional mandate and responsibilities to protect PNG’s sovereignty, undertake civic action duties, be an active tool for nation-building, among others.
Waigani and Canberra should come clean, tell the people of PNG whether the Defence Cooperation Agreement between PNG and Australia is working, and if it is indeed working, in whose interest and benefit, among other pertinent issues.
Apart from operational capabilities, there are many other issues that must be addressed as a matter of priority. They include training, ex-servicemen, equipment, terms and conditions for the soldiers, seamen and airmen.
What about the important issues of loyalty, morale and esprit de corps, if there is one in the Defence Force?
This is the job of the new Defence Minister Fabian Pok, the Defence Council, the military hierarchy headed by commander Brig Gen Francis Agwi, the top bureaucrats under Chief Secretary Manasupe Zurenuoc and the Government led by Prime Minister Peter O’Neill and his deputy Leo Dion.
The people are looking to all of them and hoping that something is done to revitalise the Defence Force to make it relevant to them and to PNG.
OP/ED
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