WEWAK, Papua New Guinea — Soldiers assigned to 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Wisconsin Army National Guard, are training alongside members of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) at Moem Barracks in Wewak during Exercise Tamiok Strike 2026, reinforcing a relationship rooted in shared history while building interoperability for future regional security challenges.
Throughout the exercise, Soldiers from the "Black Hawk Battalion" are leading infantry-focused training events that include urban operations, vehicle clearance procedures and small-unit tactics designed to enhance the PNGDF's operational capabilities. The training supports PNGDF missions across Papua New Guinea, including deployments to the Highlands, border regions and remote island provinces.
"Our unit got out here in Papua New Guinea at Moem Barracks this week, and we've been conducting training with the PNGDF on urban operations, vehicle clearance and other operations that are gonna help support them as they go out on deployments and the Highlands, along the border and out to the islands," said 1st Lt. John Bensend, an officer with 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment.
Exercise Tamiok Strike 2026 is a U.S. Army Pacific-led bilateral exercise conducted with the Papua New Guinea Defence Force that strengthens interoperability, readiness and military-to-military relationships through joint training, engineering, medical and leader engagements. The exercise demonstrates the enduring relationship between the United States and Papua New Guinea while enhancing the ability of both forces to respond to regional security and humanitarian challenges across the Indo-Pacific.
For the Soldiers of the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment, the mission carries significance beyond tactical training. The battalion traces its lineage to the famed 32nd Infantry Division, whose Soldiers fought some of the most difficult campaigns of World War II in Papua New Guinea.
"So we're part of the 32nd IBCT. We have a long lineage. In World War II the 32nd Division deployed to Papua New Guinea, coming up from Port Moresby and fighting in Buna and Aitape, and so our unit has a lot of heritage and lineage coming back to Papua New Guinea, where we lost a lot of soldiers side by side with the Papua New Guineans and the Australians," Bensend said.
That history is especially meaningful in the East Sepik Province, where Allied forces fought alongside Papua New Guineans during the closing stages of the New Guinea campaign. The battalion's return to the Sepik region more than 80 years later reflects an evolution of the relationship—from wartime allies to trusted security partners working together to address modern challenges.
The Wisconsin National Guard's longstanding connection with Papua New Guinea has been further strengthened through the Department of Defense National Guard State Partnership Program, which pairs Wisconsin with Papua New Guinea to promote enduring military cooperation, professional development and mutual understanding. The partnership enables recurring engagements that build readiness while fostering personal and professional relationships between Soldiers of both nations.
"My hope for the future is that we continue to build our relationships. We build our core competencies together, and we understand how each other works so that we're able to work together and our interoperability improves," Bensend said.
The infantry training conducted during Tamiok Strike 2026 provides opportunities for both forces to exchange tactics, techniques and procedures while learning from each other's operational experiences. The collaboration enhances readiness for a range of missions, from regional security operations to humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
"Wisconsin has a State Partnership Program with Papua New Guinea, so we're going to continue to build off the successes from this year into future years and continue to orient our training into places where the PNGDF needs it the most," Bensend said.
As Exercise Tamiok Strike 2026 continues, Soldiers from both nations are building more than tactical proficiency—they are reinforcing the trust, respect and shared commitment that underpin the U.S.-Papua New Guinea security relationship.
"We're super excited to build a partnership with the PNGDF and get that momentum forward as we look to support each other long term," Bensend said.
The participation of the 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry Regiment represents more than a continuation of historic ties to Papua New Guinea. By training shoulder-to-shoulder with the PNGDF in the same region where members of the 32nd Infantry Division once fought alongside Papua New Guineans during World War II, today's Soldiers are helping transform a shared legacy of sacrifice into an enduring relationship focused on peace, stability and security throughout the Indo-Pacific.
For more information please visit Tamiokstrike.com
<br> <br>