Papua New Guinea Military - 2022

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Papua New Guinea Defense Force (PNGDF; includes land, maritime, and air elements); Ministry of Police: Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary (2022)

Military expenditures

0.4% of GDP (2021 est.)

0.4% of GDP (2020 est.)

0.3% of GDP (2019) (approximately $100 million)

0.3% of GDP (2018) (approximately $100 million)

0.3% of GDP (2017) (approximately $110 million)

Military and security service personnel strengths

approximately 3,000 active duty troops (2022)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the PNGDF has a limited inventory consisting of a diverse mix of foreign-supplied weapons and equipment; Papua New Guinea has received most of its military assistance from Australia (2021)

Military service age and obligation

18-27 for a general enlistee or 18-30 for an officer cadet; no conscription (2022)

Military - note

as of 2022, Australia and the US were assisting Papua New Guinea with expanding and improving the Defense Force naval base at Lombrum on Manus Island; the US first established a Lombrum base in 1944 during World War II

the PNGDF was established in 1973; its infantry regiment and primary unit, the Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (RPIR), is descended from Australian Army infantry battalions comprised of native soldiers and led by Australian officers and non-commissioned officers formed during World War II to help fight the Japanese; the RPIR was disbanded after the war, but reestablished in 1951 as part of the Australian Army where it continued to serve until Papua New Guinea gained its independence in 1975, when it became part of the PNGDF (2022)

NOTE: The information regarding Papua New Guinea on this page is re-published from the 2022 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Papua New Guinea 2022 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Papua New Guinea 2022 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.