Every year, soldiers from the Australian and Papua New Guinean Defence Forces unite in a show of military cooperation on Exercise Wantok Warrior, a series of training activities focussed on developing infantry skills at the Combat Team level. This year a combined force of around 300 soldiers and officers from the PNGDF and their ADF counterparts, including frontline troops and support staff, has been carrying out daily drills and war games.
This joint training activity between the two regional neighbours showcases the strong and enduring relationship of cooperation and mateship between the Australian Defence Force (ADF) and Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF)
Since its first iteration in 2005, Exercise Wantok Warrior has cemented itself as one of the most noteworthy bilateral training activities undertaken annually between the two countries’ Defence Forces.
Over the 20 years since its inception, Exercise Wantok Warrior has developed in complexity by incorporating multiple platforms to increase interoperability and shared understanding. This provided participating members from both countries with exciting opportunities to share skills, resulting in enhanced leadership and military capability for both countries. For many, this exercise is one of the highlights of the year, affording soldiers from both countries the opportunity to work closely with their counterparts and friends from across the Torres Strait.
Daily combat scenarios included small boat insertions to attack fictitious enemy air defences, long jungle patrols, casualty treatment and aero-medical evacuation as well as the defence of critical infrastructure.
Airlifted into Lae on CH-47F Chinook helicopters, the integrated force from 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment (1RPIR), PNGDF Engineering Battalion and 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), used Igam Barracks as a base of operations.
A key objective for this year’s exercise was to practice capturing and securing critical infrastructure, which included urban clearance drills. Wantok Warrior Liaison Officer Major Derek Levi, who was an instructor at the School of Military Engineering at Holsworthy Barracks at Sydney for three years, said it was important to train the tactics and capabilities that would be required in future conflicts. “It’s good to train on them and know how to use them, so that if a fight comes we’ll be ready”, said Major Levi.
For 28-year-old Private Mikessy Anthony from Poloko Village in the Southern Highlands Province, the ocean-going small boat drills were far and away the most daunting. “We went in the boats yesterday and I was a bit scared, it was my first time in a boat” said Private Anthony, who was taking part in his first Wantok Warrior exercise and preferred jungle patrols.
Exercise Wantok Warrior isn’t just about training and capability, it’s also an opportunity for our troops to build on the friendships and camaraderie that our defence partnership is founded on.
Private Mikessy Anthony said working with the Australians had been a rewarding experience for the different skills and techniques they were able to pass on. “Working together with the ADF I’ve learnt a lot, we’ve been able to bring different ideas and have this shared experience.”
ENDS
Papua New Guinea Defence Force officer Captain Jonathan Kerenga from the 1st Royal Pacific Islands Regiment, Deputy Commander 3rd Brigade Colonel Boniface Aruma, DSM, and Major Patrick Hoare from the 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment, at the Situm primary school during Exercise Wantok Warrior 25 in Lae, Papua New Guinea, on 18 October 2025.
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