US gets 'unrestricted' use of base in Papua New Guinea

The US military is allowed unrestricted operations at bases in the island nation of Papua New Guinea, under an agreement signed in May.

Under the agreement, the US can deploy troops and ships at six important ports and airports in Papua New Guinea, an island nation in the South Pacific, including the Lombrum naval base on Manus Island and facilities in the capital Port Moresby.

Washington will be given “unrestricted” access to these sites to “position equipment, supplies and materials,” as well as “exclusive use” of certain areas where it can conduct construction and development activities.

The US-PNG defence agreement was signed in May during a visit by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to the island nation, but the parties kept all information about it under wraps at the time. Details of the agreement were only made public when the document was tabled in Papua New Guinea’s parliament on the evening of June 14.

US Coast Guard cutter USCGC Oliver Henry arrives in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea in August 2022. Photo: USCG

The terms of the deal allow the US to establish a military presence at a strategically valuable deep-water port, at a time when competition with China in the Pacific is heating up.

Located on the southwestern edge of the Pacific Ocean, Lombrum Naval Base has served as a garrison for British, German, Japanese, Australian and American troops. During World War II, it was one of the largest US bases in the Pacific, with 200 ships stationed there, including six battleships and 20 aircraft carriers used to retake the Philippines from Japan.

Rich in natural resources and close to vital shipping lanes, Papua New Guinea has increasingly become a focus of US-China rivalry. Beijing has been trying to gain a foothold in Lombrum in recent years, before Australia and the US signed cooperation agreements with Papua New Guinea in 2018.

The US military’s access to Lombrum would strengthen US bases on the northern island of Guam, which observers say could be key for the US in the event of regional tensions erupting into conflict.

Location of Papua New Guinea (orange). Graphic: Britannica

Thanh Tam (According to AFP )

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