- Australia has strengthened the western maritime border of the Solomon Islands amid geopolitical fracture
- The ceremony saw the handover of a wharf and maritime infrastructure to accommodate the archipelago’s two Guardian-class patrol boats
- The Australian Government will invest more than $71.2m towards the project
Australia’s Defence Minister, Richard Marles, attended the opening of the Solomon Islands’ Western Border Outpost on 17 August 2026.
The completed facility is the result of a jointly delivered infrastructure project between the governments of Australia and the Solomon Islands. The site is located in the archipelago’s Shortland Islands, close to neighbouring Papau New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean.
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In practice, the new site comprises a wharf to accommodate the country’s two Guardian-class patrol boats which Australia had previously gifted in 2019 and 2021 respectively.
But the facility also incorproates offices and accomodation to consolidate the Royal Solomon Islands Police Force, customs, immigration and biosecurity officials in a single location, enhancing interagency coordination and strengthening border management operations.
“This new facility will support Solomon Islands to strengthen border management and maritime security,” remarked Marles.
Maritime security in the Pacific
The Western Border Outpost is the latest investment Canberra has made in the Solomon Islands.
But this enduring strategic support has been pitted against that of China, which threatened to replace Australia as Honiara’s partner of choice when the country entered into a security pact with Beijing back in 2022.
Since then Australian projects in the Solomon Islands have legally and logistically crowded out Chinese state-owned enterprises through long-term infrastructure commitments.
It could be said that Canberra may be indirectly blocking Chinese efforts to develop dual-use deepwater naval ports in the strategic western border zone adjacent to Papua New Guinea. This act of denial prevents China from cultivating a footprint to leapfrog the second island chain, allowing the People’s Liberation Army Navy to threaten Australia and disrupt US trans-Pacific shipping lanes.
In early 2025, China conducted a live fire naval exercise in the Tasmanian Sea close to Australia and New Zealand.
Since then, Australia has detailed its strategic objective for sea control and denial of adversaries in its National Defence Strategy earlier this year.
Guardian-class patrol boats
The Solomon Islands Police Force operate two Guardian-class patrol boats built by Austal at its Henderson shipyard in Western Australia.
Australia is delivering 24 of these patrol boats to 12 Pacific island nations and Timor Leste under the Pacific Maritime Security Programme. Austal officially delivered all of the boats in April this year.
The steel hull of the Guardian-class is 39.5 metres in length, capable of speeds in excess of 20 knots, and designed for extended regional security operations in challenging maritime environments.
At 12 knots, the boat possesses a 3,000 nautical mile range, with each vessel able to accommodate 23 people.
