12 February 2014

God's Army

What's striking about the Papua New Guinea Defence White Paper 2013 is the invocation of the almighty.

The introductory Address By The Prime Minister (p 6) states that
The PNGDF is expected to build to a manning level of 5,000 personnel by 2017 which will require it to almost double in size over the next four years. This will necessitate an increase of Defence’s current 1.45 % share of the GDP to a new level of 3 % by 2017.
As our nation is a ‘land of a thousand tribes’, the PNGDF must be representative of a truly national organisation. Our people want to hold the PNGDF in the highest of esteem. Hence the conduct and appearance of PNGDF personnel as well as the tidiness and cleanliness of Defence installations will have a profound effect on the morale of the wider public. The PNGDF must re-establish its basic routine and maintain the highest standards of discipline at all times. The tidiness and cleanliness of all Defence establishments must be a showcase for all publicly owned and maintained infrastructure and facilities.
Finally, the key to our success lies with good and ethical leadership and our relationship with God. We must build the mental, physical and spiritual strength of our servicemen and women and reinforce our relationship with God.
May God Bless Papua New Guinea and may He Bless our Defence Organisation.
The Foreword By The Minister For Defence concludes (p8) -
May God Bless PNG and may He Bless the development of our Defence Organisation.
The Introduction And Acknowledgements By The Chief Secretary by reads (p9) -
In developing this White Paper, I thank God for His Guidance and I wish to thank the Prime Minister Honourable Peter O’Neill CMG, MP; the Minister for Defence Honourable Dr. Fabian Pok, MEc, PhD, MP; and members of the O’Neill-Dion government for their vision and foresight.
The Executive Summary states (p 13) -
Developing our Spiritual Strength 
Fundamental to its development, the PNGDO [PNG Defence Organisation] must first address the spiritual welfare of its personnel with the aim of strengthening its relationship with God. Every PNGDO establishment must have a chapel and the Chaplaincy element must be adequately structured and resourced in order to nurture spiritual strength and bring the organisation closer to God.
The PNG Defence Organisation Values (p 23) "that shape its ethos, vision and mission" are 
  • Service to God, Queen and Country; 
  • Courage; 
  • Integrity; 
  • Honesty; 
  • Commitment; 
  • Compassion; and 
  • Respect. 
The PNG Defence Organisation Ethos (p24) -
fundamentally binds the spirit of the Organisation together. It is written in Tok Pisin and translated into English as follows -
  • Papa God igo pas - Put God first; 
  • Bungwantaim – Mateship; 
  • Painim rot – Initiative; 
  • Go Tasol - Courage, determination; and 
  • Kumul karim - We belong to PNG. 
 Chapter 9 - Developing Our Spiritual Strength - reads (p 32) thus -
At the heart of the PNGDO’s existence is the spiritual welfare of its personnel and their families. In an ever changing world of complex challenges that affect the family unit, the PNGDO must strengthen its relationship with God. 
The PNG Constitution fundamentally upholds our Christian values and on the 26th of August 2007, our nation signed a Covenant to remain true to God. We must bring the PNGDO close to God, remain true to the Covenant, and apply the Leadership example of Service that our Saviour Jesus Christ has bequeathed to us. 
The PNGDO is to promote the development of its spiritual strength through the following:
  • The Directorate of Chaplaincy is to be created under the Personnel Branch; 
  • The Directorate of Chaplaincy is to be allocated its own funding vote; 
  • The PNGDO is to increase the recruitment of Chaplains and ensure that there is a full complement of Chaplains in all Units. Each of them is to be allocated the resources they need to effectively conduct their pastoral duties; and 
  • PNGDF Chaplains must be able to provide pastoral services to all servicemen and women, regardless of their denomination or religious background. Chapels are to be built or allocated space in all current Defence establishments that do not have a Chapel (Kiki Barracks, HMPNGS Basilisk, FOB Kiunga, FOB Vanimo and FOB Kerowil) as well as in all future Defence establishments.
The Supporting Statement by the Commander PNGDF reads (p 63) -
God Bless Papua New Guinea, and may He Bless our Defence White Paper 2013. 
And in case you missed the message the Closing Statement By The Secretary For Defence (p 65) concludes -
God bless our Defence White Paper 2013 and may He bless Papua New Guinea.
Pending the coming military coup I trust that the Almighty is listening.