Solomon Islands has become the first recipient of Australian-supplied Guardian-class patrol boats to arm its vessels, with the delivery of FN Herstal M2-QCB 12.7mm (0.50 calibre) machine guns last month.
On 4 November Australian officials, including High Commissioner Rod Hilton and Defence Advisor Lieutenant Colonel Justin Bywater, handed over the weapons at a ceremony held in Honiara. During the ceremony, Australia also officially handed over white ceremonial uniforms to the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force (RSPIF) Maritime Division.
This is a first for the Maritime Division, which has previously worn the standard RSPIF ceremonial uniform, and comes after the Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare repeatedly raised the prospect of establishing a separate Solomon Islands Defence Force. Australia also handed over eight new double-cabin land cruisers during the ceremony which will be used to support the Maritime Division’s fleet of small boats and craft.
Before the new machine guns were formally handed over, ADM understands, various elements of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) including the Indo-Pacific Centre for Military Law (IPCML) and Royal Australian Navy (RAN) Sea Training Group (STG) delivered comprehensive training around the use of force, rules of engagement and weapons non-proliferation.
While hardly “heavy weapons” by Australian standards, the new machine guns are the largest calibre weapons acquired by the RSPIF since it was re-armed in 2017. The RSPIF was stripped of its weapons in 2003 by the Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission Solomon Islands (RAMSI) due to the role played by out-of-control RSPIF firearms in the preceding violence.
Despite this historical baggage, the RSPIF said in a statement that arming its two Guardian- class patrol boats, RSPIV Taro and Gizo, was critical to “enhancing” the country's law-enforcement and border protection capabilities.
“Australia is committed to helping Solomon Islands meet current and emerging maritime security challenges and priorities, including illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing and transnational crime,” a Defence spokesperson said in response to ADM’s questions.
As well as Solomon Islands, both Timor Leste and Papua New Guinea intend to arm their Guardian-class vessels, however, it’s unclear what weapons they will be fitted with, or when.
Samoa Receives Replacement Patrol Boat
Samoa, which also raised the prospect of arming its then-new Guardian-class patrol boat Nafanua II in 2019, received its second vessel in November. Nafanua III, replaces Nafanua II which was written off in 2022 after it ran aground on a reef in 2021 amid political unrest in the country.
In June this year, Japan delivered a 17-metre patrol boat Tilafaiga, to Samoa to help plug the capability gap left by the demise of Nafanua II.
Hull 18, which eventually became Nafanua III after Foreign Minister Penny Wong committed to rapidly delivering a replacement for Nafanua II to Samoa, was originally earmarked for the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI). An additional hull, ordered from Austal in November 2022, will instead replace the nearly 33-year-old RMIS Lomor next year.
According to the Government of Samoa, Nafanua III will arrive in the country on 20 January, following training with RAN, and work at Austal’s facility in Cairns.