WUNUNG has emerged as the proposed site for a new Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) forward operating base at Jacquinot Bay, positioning the defence force closer to the country’s eastern maritime frontier.
The proposal is now before the Pomio District Development Authority (DDA) Board, which must resolve to support the project and seek endorsement from the East New Britain Provincial Executive Board before negotiations can begin with customary landowners.
Defence Minister and Pomio MP Elias Kapavore said the proposed Jacquinot Forward Operating Base would give PNGDF naval vessels a strategic location from which to conduct patrols and surveillance of the eastern exclusive economic zone.
“This proposed base is not something I pushed for as Minister for Defence. It is something that the Force has planned for even before I became Minister, but now we are in a position to make it into reality because it is a strategic location that will allow our naval vessels to effectively patrol the eastern exclusive economic zone,” Kapavore said.
The proposed base has been on the PNGDF’s plans for several years but was shelved in 2018.
Its strategic importance has now brought the project back into focus, with a PNGDF and Department of Defence team spending two weeks in the area assessing possible sites.
The team has identified Wunung as the preferred location.
Kapavore said the district would now work through the necessary processes to make land available for the project, subject to approval and negotiations with landowners.
“A PNGDF and Department of Defence team was here for two weeks. They looked around and will tell us where they think is suitable to host the base and the district development authority will work to make the land available,” he told people at the Pomio district headquarters on Thursday, August 6.
Jacquinot Bay sits along the south coast of New Britain and occupies a strategic position for maritime operations in PNG’s eastern waters.
For the PNGDF, the proposed facility would provide a forward position for naval operations, allowing vessels to respond more effectively to maritime security concerns and patrol the country’s vast exclusive economic zone.
The proposed base would also add a new chapter to an area already deeply connected to military history.
Jacquinot Bay was an important Allied base during the Second World War, with wharves, an airfield and a hospital established to support military operations.
The area’s wartime history stretches back to the devastating retreat of Australian troops following the Japanese capture of Rabaul in January 1942.
Members of Lark Force, particularly the 2/22nd Battalion, attempted to cross the rugged interior of New Britain and reach the southern coast in search of assistance and evacuation.
Many were captured and killed during the Tol and Waitavalo Massacre in February 1942.
Others survived because local people provided food, shelter, guidance and protection at considerable personal risk.
The same South Coast region later became a major Allied military centre.
At Palmalmal Plantation, later known as Jacquinot Bay, Australian forces established a large military complex in late 1944 as part of Allied efforts to isolate the Japanese fortress at Rabaul.
The area also became a place of liberation in 1945 when Allied prisoners of war were rescued.
Kapavore said the proposed PNGDF base would not only serve a strategic defence purpose but could also strengthen the longstanding relationship between communities in Pomio and Australia.
Given Jacquinot Bay’s role in Australian military history, he said the establishment of the base could help maintain links with Australian military units that served in the area and create opportunities for greater people-to-people connections with the Australian Defence Force.
The proposal must now pass through the district and provincial approval processes before discussions with customary landowners can begin.
If endorsed, Wunung could become the location of a new PNGDF forward presence — linking Jacquinot Bay’s wartime legacy with PNG’s modern maritime security needs.