Australia is expanding access to the Australian Defence Force for Papua New Guinea citizens through a bilateral recruitment arrangement. Multiple outlets report that a trial or pilot program will allow eligible PNG nationals to enlist, as Canberra seeks to strengthen military staffing.
ABC Australia and other reports frame the move as targeting younger people, including PNG university students, under the recruitment trial. PerthNow notes the program’s scale, saying up to 100 PNG citizens may be able to enlist. The coverage describes the initiative as part of wider defence cooperation between the two close neighbours and allies, though the outlets focus mainly on eligibility and the planned pilot recruitment numbers rather than broader policy details.
