Two Papua New Guinea Officers has been promoted to the ranks of full colonel and Navy Commander last week Friday at PNGDF headquarters in Port Moresby.
The two officers are Lieutenant Colonel Opa Opa, and Lieutenant Commander, Sabastian Maru.
Lt Col Opa Opa is a very senior officer of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force and has served in all infantry units.
He is the former Commanding Officer of the 2nd Royal Pacific Island Regiment. In 2015 he was posted as the Deputy Security Commander to APEC 2018.
Under his command he was able to develop a security plan for APEC 2018.
He is now promoted to the rank of full colonel.
Meantime, Lt- Commander Sabastian Maru has spent most of his time at seas an operator on board maritime ships and has proven to step up as young officers to perform senior tasking’s.
A key highlight of his career is when his ship was awarded the fleet concentration shield by the minor war vessel training Group in 2012 in a navy exercise in Australia.
He successfully attended the Australian Command Staff College last year and is now promoted as a Navy Commander and posted as the new Commanding officer for the HMPNGS Tarangau Naval Base in Manus.
Meantime, the PNGDF Commander, Brigadier General, Gilbert Toropo, promoted them and said that both officers had been doing a great job respectively further challenging them to continue in their new duties respectively.
Colonel Opa Opa on behalf of both officers said it is Gods timing and blessing and thank the Defence Council, National Executive Council, their immediate family members in one way or the other helped in their success. They will continue performing their task to the best of their ability.
Picture caption: PNGDF Commander Brigadier Gilbert Toropo putting the ranks to the newly promoted Colonel Opa Opa as Commander (Navy) Sebastian Maru (left) looks on at PNGDF Headquarters last week. Picture by Capt. Barnabas Malken