Session 3: Trust and Respect in Regional Partnerships

Brigadier General Gilbert Toropo, DMS, CBE

Commander of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force

Introduction

‘Lieutenant General Rick Burr, fellow Defence and Land Commanders in the Indo-Pacific Region, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, good afternoon.

‘It’s both an honour and pleasure to attend CALFS18 and be invited to deliver the key note address on ‘Generating Land Power Through Partner- ing’. This through the eyes of a Commander of a small South West Pacific security force.

‘I thank Lieutenant General Rick Burr for the invitation to present this after- noon.

‘As you all know Papua New Guinea and Australia share a long and deep re- lationship, no better evidenced through our shared military history and close security cooperation, embodied in the land domain in particular.

‘Papua New Guinea, along with all countries represented here at CALFS18, has a shared interest in a secure and prosperous region, be that the near region of the South Pacific, or more widely in the Indo-Pacific region.

‘Given Papua New Guinea’s location as a ‘gateway’ between the two re- gions we take our role seriously, contributing within means where we can.

‘Important in our ability to do this is productive international engagement. A secure and prosperous region depends on trust and partnership between countries. No nation can achieve its security objectives by itself. And alone, we risk working at cross-purposes or duplicating our efforts. By working together, where our interests align, we maximise our effectiveness.

‘I propose to break my address this afternoon into three parts.

‘I will first outline how we, and perhaps other small country forces see part- nering. In this respect, I’m very pleased to note there is a side event—Pacific History Workshop and Seminar—running over the next two days where regional partner perspectives are being sought on what makes a successful partnering operation.

‘I will then describe the Papua New Guinea context—an understanding of each other’s national context is essential, I believe, for effective partnership.

‘And finally, I will describe how we generate land power through effective partnering, using our partner experience with Australia, our largest bi-lateral partner.

Effective Partnering – a Definition

‘In my view, effective partnering is synonymous with effective international engagement. It is a given that sovereign interests are important and need to be respected. The challenge, as mentioned, is to find where partners’ interests align, while at the same time respecting sovereign interests. I am realistic in this, it is not always easy.

‘Perhaps the best explanation of effective partnering I can give is to share a story told me by my Deputy Chief of Staff, a Kiwi, who on hearing he was posted to my headquarters discussed his upcoming posting with the then Chief of Staff, now Commander of the Republic of Fiji Military Forces, Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto: someone whom he had known and respected for over 35 years. Naupoto’s advice was, ‘make sure you are in the waka (canoe)’. By this he meant, “if you are on the journey, and your partner feels you are with them, you can be trusted: your impact will be more valued and much greater than someone who may be on ‘the shore shouting direc- tions’.” This, I think, is true.

‘While small Pacific states are inevitably the smaller partner, we invariably have a disproportionately large stake in the outcome. As such, for all our partners (and I hesitate to use the term traditional and non-traditional any more), to be trusted and valued as security partners we encourage you to join us in the journey, respecting our aspirations, through both good times and bad.

‘We all have a shared interest in the security and prosperity of the Pacific, however we all bring different things to the table, be it in security operations or during HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) events. In the PNG context major partners such as Australia, the US and NZ provide sig- nificant enablers, whether C2 capabilities, strategic lift, or disaster response capabilities such as multi-role vessels.

‘Small disciplined forces, for our part, bring both commitment and capabil- ity to the table, both of which are ‘force multipliers’ in addressing threats to regional stability. Commitment in terms of being from a small Pacific Island state, which assists mission legitimacy, and through cultural understanding better enables tactical and operational success.

‘Interoperability is enhanced through familiarity and long-standing personal relationships. In other words, successful partnerships are not built overnight. They are built through time, trust, an adherence to common doctrine, indi- vidual and collective training opportunities and engagement.

‘When all parties recognise the contributions of others, and this occurs under the auspices of a regional body such as the Pacific Island Forum, then the chances of mission success are greatly enhanced: RAMSI (the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands) in 2003 was a good example of this where the Solomon Islands, through the Biketawa Accord, sought assis- tance from the forum in addressing a deteriorating, internal security situation.

Papua New Guinea – the Context

‘While all countries might share a common interest in a secure and prosper- ous region, we all have different start points, and are at different points on the journey… or the development path. Take geography and demographics for example. Papua New Guinea comprises half of one of the world’s largest islands, and a series of archipelagos. We have a rugged, mountainous hin- terland, and have yet to connect all regions though a national road system.

‘We sit, as mentioned, at the natural juncture between Australia and the South Pacific on one hand, and East Asia and the Indian Ocean on the other. Many of the world’s major trade routes pass through our waters, or at least close to our borders. It is therefore inevitable that we occupy an impor- tant position in the strategic thinking of our immediate neighbours, and also in the thinking of larger trading nations further afield, who rely upon the safe passage of goods and resources through our region.

‘Demographic factors are also important. PNG is an ethnically-diverse coun- try: indeed, of the world’s approximately 2000 languages, 800—or 40%— are spoken in PNG. As a result, it is common for our people to identify more closely with their local region and wantoks (or fellow tribesmen) than the country and its people as a whole. This has been shown to be both a blessing and a curse for PNG. While we rejoice in that ethnic diversity, un- fortunately it has sometimes led to provincial rivalries that has made nation- building difficult. That is an issue that only we can address through the time- honoured Melanesian process of understanding through engagement.

‘Our challenges are unique, so when we talk about partnering and ‘generat- ing land power’ it is more often likely to be in response to an HADR event or ‘force projection’ in support of a civil emergency in our rugged and challeng- ing hinterland, as opposed to a regionally-based security initiative such as RAMSI.

‘These challenges are highlighted in our government’s mandated core tasks, which include: sovereignty protection (including the integrity of our land bor- der); civil emergency and HADR assistance; nation building, either directly through such means as the development of national infrastructure, i.e. road- building by our engineers, or indirectly through supporting whole of govern- ment programmes to improve services for our isolated communities; and international obligations including United Nations peacekeeping operations.

‘Achieving these strategic tasks to the level required requires a range of capabilities beyond what we currently have, including growing the force from 2500 in 2013 to 10 000 in 2030.

‘We currently sit at approximately 4 000 personnel.

Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) Structure – Current and Future

‘To give a perspective on this, the PNGDF’s current structure, which has been in place since independence from Australia in 1975, is essentially a brigade-level which would serve as part of a larger formation. The increase in size to 10 000 personnel by 2030 however, will require major structural reform, involving a transition from a brigade to a divisional setting, and from functional to environmental command. Initial planning is for the PNGDF to reach optimal mass for transition by 2025 with a separate army, navy and air force, as component parts of a unified defence force—by 2030.

‘A range of new capabilities, from a strategic-level headquarters that is closely linked to other government agencies, with ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) ‘force wide’ that can effect secure strategic, operational and tactical communications, to aero-medical deployment and evacuation are all required. I don’t propose to go into the details of the specific capabilities and plans other than to say developing the capabilities and effecting structural changes requires more than simply recruiting more personnel and acquiring more modern equipment. It is transformational, involving a full regeneration of the force, and imposing a series of cultural changes, within a short period; all the while continuing to undertake the range of business-as-usual tasks, and not-so-usual tasks if you consider support for APEC Leaders’ Summit (APEC 18).

‘In this context the support of our defence partners is critical. Australia is by far our largest defence partner. Indeed, the Defence Cooperation Pro- gramme (DCP) is larger than all other partner programmes combined. Main effort under the DCP over the past four years has been the ‘Companies of Excellence’ programme which saw ADF mentoring teams embedded in training and operational units, providing mentorship to commanders at all levels. It has also seen companies trained as a whole, and then being posted as a single entity to a battalion. We have seen the full regeneration of two infantry battalions in this way, including some supporting infrastructure. This has resulted in raising individual standards at all levels.

‘The support provided through the DCP across all areas has always been important to us, and remains an essential factor in our attaining our objec- tives.

‘The support of our other bi-lateral partners, the US, NZ and China, remains equally important with each filling important functions. The US with a profes- sional military education and development programme; China with special- ist education and ‘soft skinned’ vehicle mobility; and NZ with professional military education and more recently, mentoring support for our leadership development programme.

‘Increasingly as our partnerships grow and diversify the need for collabora- tion and transparency becomes more important between all parties. While this collaboration must place the smaller partner at the centre, it comes with a responsibility not to play one partner off against another, but rather to calibrate partner engagement for positive outcomes for all.

Generating Land Power through Partnering – Australia and the PNGDF Experience

‘I now come to some observations of the PNGDF experience in generating land power though partnering, using our partnering experience with Australia in particular.

‘Firstly, enhanced capability is built through the self-evident capacity-building programmes, such as the ‘companies of excellence’ already mentioned, and the myriad of individual and collective training activities we undergo together. These represent our ‘annual, training battle rhythm’, which we synchronize with all our partners.

‘The courses and activities are complemented by ‘unit-to-unit’ exchanges, in the ‘land space’ particularly with the 3rd Brigade in Townsville. This familiar- ity not only builds confidence operating in a combined environment but it also generates the ‘person-to-person’ relationships we consider critical to an understanding of our challenges. And the benefits can accrue long after the exchange, for example Lieutenant General Tim Keating, the recently re- tired New Zealand Chief of Defence Force, served a three month attachment with the Pacific Islands Regiment in the early 1980s. He remained a commit- ted and valued friend throughout his service. The same can be said of many ADF members. Colonel Dick Parker is a good example. He schooled in PNG as a youth in the late 1970s, was a young officer instructor at the Defence Academy in the mid-1990s, and more recently was the Head of the Austra- lian Defence Staff in Papua New Guinea. Another good friend of PNG.

‘Secondly, it is very clear to me, that the generation of land power is a joint and combined activity.

‘I’ve mentioned the extreme challenge of our terrain; this is overcome with Australian sponsored ‘wet lease’, rotary wing helicopters that greatly assist in mobility for border patrols and other security operations.

‘The same effect is achieved with the use of C-130s. As seen recently in response to the devastating earthquake in the Highlands in late February this year. Without the timely intervention of the air support from both Australia and New Zealand, the government would not have got the immediate relief supplies and our support personnel into the region.

‘The joint effect is also seen in the maritime domain through the use of an Australian funded Landing Craft Heavy (LCH) which allows the shipping of stores and troops to areas that would otherwise be inaccessible or prohibi- tively expensive.

‘These air and naval enablers have a second order benefit in training and experience as we seek to develop our own capabilities in these areas.

‘While a third of our extensive partnering programme with Australia is expended on individual training, exercises and operations; rotary-wing, in- frastructure and logistics support account for nearly 50% of the programme, including new accommodation and Combat Service Support team support to Force Maintenance Bases. This targeted support from our major partner, recently complemented with improved C2 through the supported introduc- tion into service of additional HF/VHF communications, allows us to gener- ate a significant land effect, and in so doing, achieve our core tasks to a higher level.

‘It is testimony to the enhanced, combined and joint effect that can be achieved through effective partnering.

‘This is also evidenced through major partner support for the APEC Lead- ers’ Week this November. While such support is critical and greatly appreci- ated given our lack of high-level assets and the C2 infrastructure, perhaps the greatest enduring benefit will come from the stand-up of the JSTF (Join Security Task Force) HQ. Australian support has been significant in this: on- going over last two - three years with the effect of bringing together all PNG security agencies. This has not been easy. It is new to us and can only be of benefit in promoting a better whole-of-government response in the future. Something that is essential if we are to continue to effectively deal with our security challenges.

‘To conclude however, a cautionary note; while I have stressed that joint and combined enablers have a multiplying effect in the land space for a develop- ing South West Pacific security force such as the PNGDF, any achievement is underwritten by the focused development of human resources. The old adage of ‘crawl, walk, run’ is very true in this context. We cannot move faster than the level of our society’s development. This places additional im- portance on partner understanding, of long-standing inter-personal relation- ships, and, of course, trust.

‘To my mind, just as it is in large alliances or coalitions, so it is in small bilateral or multilateral operations. A successful outcome is more than just the sum of the parts. It requires an understanding of the synergies and the relative priorities of each part to deliver the whole. As seen in the Papua New Guinea context, we are both seeking to transform while at the same time undertake critical business-as-usual tasks. For our partners and us, this requires an effective understanding of partnering … some insights into which I hope I have been able to give you this afternoon.

‘Thank you.’

Figure 22. Members of the PNGDF Inicdent Response Group conduct aeromedical evacuation drills with members of the Australian Army’s 5th Aviation Regiment in Port Moresby as part of the combined operation providing security for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation conference (APEC). The Australian Defence Force provided a Joint Task Force in support of the PNGDF in response to a request from the PNG Government. (Image: DoD)

Figure 23. A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade member (blue shirt) with members of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force are flown into a remote Papua New Guinea village by Australian Army CH-47F Chinooks of 5th Aviation Regiment as the Australian Government provides assistance to the Government of PNG after the 7.5 magnitude earthquake in the PNG highlands in early 2018. Note the damage done to the airfield’s runway and grass apron by the ‘quake that prevents fixed-wing aircraft from landing. (Image: DoD)