PNGDF welcomes appointment of Onglo as minister

THE Papua New Guinea Defence Force top hierarchy has welcomed the appointment of Kundiawa-Gembogl MP William Onglo as the new minister for defence.
PNG Defence Force Brigadier-General Gilbert Toropo and acting secretary for Defence Trevor Meauri said the next phase under the leadership of Onglo would be exciting.
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill appointed Onglo following the resignation of Solan Mirisim two weeks ago.
“We welcome the appointment of Onglo as minister and chairman of the Defence Council,” Toropo and Meauri said in a joint statement.
“We are delighted that a person of such calibre and background has been appointed to lead the Defence organisation as it undergoes changes directed by the O’Neill government.”
Under Mirisim, the organisation began the process of change aimed at achieving targets set in the 2013 Defence White Paper, the MTDP two and three, and the Alotau Accord policy guidelines.
“We have achieved a lot in the area of recruitment, weapons and ammunition acquisition, capacity building, and infrastructure development,” they said. “Our progress thus far has been outstanding, and we thank former minister Mirisim for his leadership and guidance in the last 20 months.”
They said the next phase under the leadership of Onglo would be exciting, as the organisation focused on infrastructure development, and assisting the government build road and bridge infrastructure.