The 2013 Defence Force White Paper talks about building the overall PNG Defence Force.
The government through the 2013 Defence White Paper directs that the Papua New Guinea Defence Force increase its manpower from the current constitutionally mandated strength of 5,000 to 10,000 by the year 2030.
Although the PNG Constitution does not allow the PNGDF to recruit manpower of 10,000, the government is working on the legislation to accommodate the direction to increase the force as required.
Nevertheless, after successive recruitments, the force has now reached 4,000 personnel; a 2,000 manpower increase from previous years’ recruitments.
The Force is on target now to achieve the required 5,000 manpower by this year; which was supposed to have been achieved in 2017, as directed in the 2013 White Paper.
“We are continuously recruiting and unfortunately, our capacity to recruit is very limited. Our only general enlistee recruiting training in Goldie allows us to only recruit up to 150,” says PNGDF Commander, Brigadier-General Gilbert Toropo.
“That is why every three months, we are rolling over 150 new recruits and that will go on until we reach up to 10,000.”
Toropo says that does not mean that the recruiting to see an increase will be achieved in his term as the Commander; it will be a long term plan that will continue, even under a new commander.
“Likewise, the implementation of White Paper, not one commander can achieve its full aim as directed. It is a roll on plan where the next commander will have to continue to take on board and move forward.”
The Goldie Training Depot marches out general enlistees twice yearly and the PNG Academy, now turned PNG Joint Service College, marches out cadets once every year and will continue to progress into the future.
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