ADF Recruitment Applications to Open in November, Targeting University Students

By GINNAH MINI

DEPUTY Prime Minister of Australia and Minister for Defence, Hon. Richard Marles, has announced that applications for Papua New Guineans to join the Australian Defence Force (ADF) will open on November 16.

Mr Marles made the announcement during the Papua New Guinea–Australia Ministerial Forum held at APEC House in Port Moresby.

“From the 16th of November, we will be opening applications for Papua New Guineans to join the Australian Defence Force,” he said.

He said the initial recruitment drive would target students from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), Pacific Adventist University (PAU) and the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUOT), while ensuring representation from all provinces of the country.

Mr Marles emphasised that the recruitment initiative would begin as a pilot program aimed at testing the process and ensuring its success before any expansion.

“I want to highlight that this is a pilot program. It’s about proving the concept, making sure that we get it right from the outset and ensuring that this succeeds at the beginning,” he said.

Under the pilot program, the ADF plans to recruit two cohorts of approximately 50 Papua New Guineans over the next two years.

The first cohort is expected to begin training in May next year, undertaking a 16-week program. Mr Marles said the first Papua New Guinean recruits were expected to be wearing the ADF uniform by this time next year.

The second cohort of 50 recruits is scheduled to commence in 2028, bringing the total number of recruits under the pilot program to approximately 100.

Mr Marles said the long-term ambition of the ADF was to recruit thousands of Papua New Guineans directly into its ranks.

He described the initiative as a significant development in the ADF’s recruitment approach and a major step forward in the bilateral relationship between Papua New Guinea and Australia.

The recruitment program is also expected to strengthen defence cooperation between the two countries under the Pukpuk Treaty.

Mr Marles said recruits would initially be granted temporary visas before becoming eligible for Australian citizenship within a relatively short period. They would also retain their Papua New Guinean citizenship, allowing them to hold dual citizenship.

He concluded that Papua New Guineans serving in the ADF would represent the close partnership and enduring alliance between the two countries.