Papua New Guinean university graduates will be among the first to enter a new recruitment pathway into the Australian Defence Force (ADF), with applications opening on November 16 under a pilot program announced by Australian Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles.

The program will initially target students and graduates from the University of Papua New Guinea, Pacific Adventist University and the Papua New Guinea University of Technology.

Mr. Marles said the first intake will begin a 16-week training course in Papua New Guinea from May next year, with approximately 50 recruits in each of two cohorts planned over the next two years.

“This is about proving the concept, making sure that we get it right from the outset, making sure that this succeeds at the beginning,” Mr. Marles said.

He said the pilot program is intended to establish a model that could eventually expand to recruit thousands of Papua New Guineans directly into the Australian Defence Force.

“In time, it is our ambition to be recruiting thousands of Papua New Guineans directly into the Australian Defence Force,” he said.

The recruitment initiative will seek to ensure representation from provinces across Papua New Guinea, creating opportunities for eligible Papua New Guineans to serve in Australia's military.

Mr. Marles said recruits will be able to retain their Papua New Guinean citizenship while acquiring Australian citizenship.

“These recruits will literally be the embodiment of the alliance between Australia and PNG,” he said.

Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso said the initiative could also deliver long-term benefits to Papua New Guinea through skills development, training and financial contributions from recruits serving in Australia.

He says Papua New Guineans joining the ADF would gain skills and experience that could benefit their home country, while remittances could provide additional support to families and communities.

“It's about Papua New Guineans learning skill sets, gaining skills, and bringing them back here to Papua New Guinea,” Mr. Rosso said.

“It's about remittance that comes back to Papua New Guinea. It's about learning. It's about training. It's about interoperability. It's about partnership between both nations.”

Mr. Rosso says the recruitment pathway reflects the broader defence and security relationship between the two countries, which he said has continued to strengthen since the Ministerial Forum began in its current form in 2022.

He said a stronger and more secure Papua New Guinea would also benefit Australia, highlighting the mutual interests underpinning the two countries' alliance.

The Australian Deputy Prime Minister also reveals that about 40 Papua New Guinean permanent residents living in Australia have already taken up an earlier opportunity to join the ADF and are progressing through the recruitment process.

He said the first recruit from that group could enter the force within months.

Mr. Marles said the direct recruitment initiative originated from a proposal by Papua New Guinea, describing it as a significant step in the countries' evolving alliance.

“What we're doing here today is planting a seed, and it is just the beginning,” he said.

The announcement was made at the first PNG-Australia Ministerial Forum since the two countries formally became alliance partners.

Other initiatives announced include $110 million in Australian investment in infrastructure in Papua New Guinea and the establishment of a military rotation involving approximately 130 Australian personnel from the 3rd Brigade based in Townsville.

Mr. Rosso said the two countries' cooperation extends beyond defence to policing, security, communications, healthcare, education and infrastructure.

Mr. Marles said the recruitment initiative could become a substantial part of the bilateral relationship over the next decade.