Beyond Institutions: Building PNG’s Next Generation of Security Thinkers

By Bernard Yegiora 

The first article in this series examined the emergence of the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Joint Intelligence Group (JIG) as part of PNG’s evolving intelligence-led national security framework. The second article explored where Provincial Intelligence Committees could potentially fit within this emerging security architecture and how intelligence coordination may eventually need to evolve beyond Waigani into the provinces.

However, institutions and coordination mechanisms alone are insufficient.

The long-term effectiveness of PNG’s national security framework will ultimately depend on whether the country develops its own home-grown generation of strategic thinkers, intelligence analysts, foreign policy specialists, cybersecurity experts, defence planners, and security professionals capable of sustaining and strengthening these institutions over time.

Modern national security environments are becoming increasingly complex. PNG is now confronted with transnational organised crime, cyber threats, border security challenges, maritime security concerns, geopolitical competition, foreign influence operations, illegal resource extraction, illicit financial flows, and climate-related security pressures. These are no longer purely operational or law-and-order challenges. They increasingly require advanced policy analysis, intelligence assessment, strategic forecasting, and interagency coordination.

This is why human capital development matters or is a critical enabler.

A major institutional and strategic shift can already be seen within PNG’s own policy framework. Under Medium Term Development Plan III, law, justice, and national security were grouped together under a single Key Result Area. However, Medium Term Development Plan IV separates “Rule of Law and Justice” from “National Security” into two distinct Strategic Priority Areas. This distinction is significant because it demonstrates that the state no longer views security solely through the narrow lens of policing and criminal justice administration. National security is increasingly being treated as a standalone strategic sector connected to sovereignty, intelligence coordination, border management, geopolitical competition, economic resilience, and state stability.

Importantly, the National Security Policy (NSP) 2013 already recognized the importance of professional training and institutional capacity building within the security sector. Under Goal 9, which focuses on “Effective National Security Co-ordination and Implementation through a Whole-of-Nation Approach,” the policy specifically proposed the establishment of a “National Security Academy for joint agency training on national security.”

More than a decade later, this proposal remains highly relevant as PNG attempts to strengthen intelligence coordination, interagency cooperation, and strategic policy capability through institutions such as the NSA and JIG.

The emphasis on professional training and institutional capacity building is also reflected in the PNG Foreign Policy White Paper (FPWP) 2025. Under its future directions, the White Paper proposes the establishment of a Diplomatic Academy linked to a university or suitable higher education institution to provide specialized training for PNG’s diplomats.

When viewed together, the National Security Academy proposal in the NSP 2013 and the Diplomatic Academy proposal in the FPWP 2025 reveal an important pattern emerging within PNG’s policy thinking. Increasingly, the country’s strategic documents recognize that national security and foreign policy effectiveness depend heavily on education, training, professional development, and human capital investment.

This discussion also connects closely with previous discussions on developing a home-grown postgraduate program in Foreign Policy Analysis in PNG. Earlier articles on The Yegiora Files, including Building PNG’s Foreign Policy Capacity: A Postgraduate Program for Vision 2050 and MTDP IV, argued for stronger university-linked professional training institutions and specialized postgraduate programs capable of strengthening PNG’s long-term foreign policy and strategic capability.

The same logic now applies directly to the national security sector.

PNG should begin developing specialized postgraduate programs in areas such as intelligence studies, strategic studies, foreign policy analysis, border security, cybersecurity, maritime security, and national security governance. These programs should be home-grown, rooted in PNG realities, and taught jointly by academics and experienced practitioners from the security and foreign policy sectors.

PNG’s evolving security architecture will require more leaders with advanced academic and strategic training. While operational experience remains important, modern national security governance increasingly demands expertise in areas such as policy analysis, intelligence assessment, strategic forecasting, geopolitics, and security research. There are already encouraging examples within the sector. Deputy Commissioner of the Royal PNG Constabulary, Dr. Philip Mitna, completed a PhD at the Australian National University examining factors influencing PNG’s foreign policy in the twenty-first century, while Interim Director General of the NSA, Dr. Francis Hualupmomi, completed doctoral research at Victoria University of Wellington analyzing how political governance of liquid fuels contributes to energy security in PNG. Their careers demonstrate how advanced academic training can complement operational and leadership experience within PNG’s broader national security and strategic governance environment.

However, PNG requires many more highly trained professionals across institutions such as the PNG Defence Force, National Intelligence Organisation, NSA, Customs Service, Immigration and Citizenship Authority, Royal PNG Constabulary, and Department of Foreign Affairs capable of contributing not only operational experience, but also research, strategic analysis, institutional development, and long-term policy planning capability.

Higher degrees are not simply academic credentials. They strengthen analytical thinking, evidence-based policymaking, intelligence assessment, strategic forecasting, institutional leadership, and professional credibility. In an increasingly complex strategic environment, these capabilities are becoming essential components of modern national security governance.

The challenge facing PNG’s security sector also reflects a broader institutional problem already visible within the higher education sector. In an earlier article, Invest in Academic Mentorship, Not Foreign Scholarships, the argument was made that national development depends not only on buildings and physical infrastructure, but also on investing in experienced professionals capable of mentoring and developing the next generation of scholars, policymakers, and practitioners.

The same principle applies directly to the national security sector.

PNG requires experienced defence officers, intelligence professionals, diplomats, customs officials, police leaders, and policy practitioners to play a greater role in training and mentoring future security professionals. Security governance should not remain isolated within state institutions alone. Universities, think tanks, and research institutions must increasingly become part of PNG’s broader strategic ecosystem.

This is particularly important because overreliance on foreign expertise creates long-term strategic vulnerabilities. While international partnerships and overseas training remain important, PNG cannot depend indefinitely on foreign consultants, external intelligence assessments, or imported policy frameworks to manage its own security environment. The country requires localized strategic thinking grounded in PNG’s political realities, geography, governance structures, border challenges, social dynamics, and regional context.

Home-grown strategic education therefore becomes an issue of sovereignty and national resilience.

The future success of PNG’s evolving national security architecture will ultimately depend not only on the institutions it creates, but also on the quality of the people who lead, analyze, coordinate, and sustain those institutions over time.

If the NSA, JIG, and broader national security framework are to succeed over the long term, PNG must invest not only in infrastructure, operations, and coordination mechanisms, but also in the development of a new generation of home-grown security thinkers capable of navigating an increasingly complex strategic environment.