Relationship dossier
Papua New Guinea
United States
Relationship assessment
Papua New Guinea and the United States have expanded security and development cooperation.
Papua New Guinea toward United States
+45Papua New Guinea entered into the 2023 Defense Cooperation Agreement with the United States, providing a framework for US access to agreed facilities and joint security activities. The agreement reflects PNG government cooperation on security and defense.
United States toward Papua New Guinea
+45The United States entered into the 2023 Defense Cooperation Agreement with Papua New Guinea, establishing a framework for access to agreed facilities and joint security activities. US assistance also supports development and health programs in PNG.
Overall relationship
+45The relationship is characterized by an expanding security partnership and US development assistance. The 2023 Defense Cooperation Agreement is a major bilateral arrangement, creating a durable framework for security cooperation while leaving implementation and the partnership’s future scope as uncertainties.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
Papua New Guinea and the United States have expanded security and development cooperation. Their 2023 Defense Cooperation Agreement provides a framework for US access to agreed facilities and for joint security activities, while US assistance supports areas including health and development. The partnership is substantial, though its implementation and longer-term scope remain important considerations.
Key developments
Papua New Guinea and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement establishing a framework for security cooperation and US access to agreed facilities.
Major uncertainties
- The scope and implementation of the Defense Cooperation Agreement over time are unclear.
- The scale and continuity of US development assistance may change.