© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: U.S. Secretary of Defence Lloyd Austin holds a news conference on the day of a NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting at the Alliance’s headquarters in Brussels, Belgium June 15, 2023. REUTERS/Yves Herman/File Photo
SYDNEY (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin said on Thursday during a visit to Papua New Guinea that Washington was not seeking a permanent base in the country.
“I just want to be clear, we are not seeking a permanent base in PNG,” Austin told a news conference in Papua New Guinea capital Port Moresby.
“This is a fundamental, foundational framework to deepen that defence relationship.”
A defence agreement signed in May will allow U.S. forces to refurbish and develop infrastructure for military and civilian use at Papua New Guinea (PNG) seaports and airports.
