Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
has no formal defence structure or regular armed forces. It has informal defence ties with
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...
, which is required to consider any request for assistance from Samoa under the bilateral
Treaty of Friendship of 1962.
In 2022 there is about 900–1,100 police officers in Samoa, in three years time Samoa would soon have a force of 1,000 active police officers serving the country as well as 3 new patrol vessels.
Officers of the national police force, the
Samoa Police Service
The Samoa Police Service is the unitary national police force of Samoa.
In 2022 the numbers of officers increased numbering around 900-1,100 Samoan police officers. Duties include maintaining the correctional facilities, maintaining order in t ...
, are regularly unarmed, but may be armed in exceptional circumstances with ministerial approval. State armories were estimated to hold about 142 small arms; they also have three 3-pounder cannons in 2003. By 2022 armories estimated to hold about 650–700 rifles, pistols and shotguns including military grade equipment as well as six 3-pounder artillery cannons and two 30 mm autocannons; soon a third 30 mm autocannon will be ordered for a new patrol boat by 2023. Samoan police naval forces have also announced that there will be three new patrol boats which will soon be built which will be able to hold one 30 mm autocannon and two heavy machine guns each. In 2019 Samoa was given an unarmed patrol boat, the by Australia. In June 2022, Australia's Foreign Minister
Penny Wong
Penelope Ying-Yen Wong (born 5 November 1968) is an Australian politician who has been Minister for Foreign Affairs and Leader of the Government in the Senate in the Albanese Government since 2022. A member of the Australian Labor Party (ALP), ...
announced with Samoan Prime Minister
Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa
Afioga Fiamē Naomi Mataafa (born 29 April 1957) () is a Samoan politician and High Chiefess ('' matai'') who has served as the seventh Prime Minister of Samoa and leader of the Faatuatua i le Atua Samoa ua Tasi (FAST) party since 2021.
The ...
that the craft would be replaced at Australia's expense after Nafanua II ran aground on a reef in August 2021.
See also
*
List of countries without armed forces
This is a list of countries without armed forces. The term ''country'' here means sovereign states and not dependencies (e.g., Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, Bermuda) whose defense is the responsibility of another country or an army alternat ...
References
Samoa
Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...
Government of Samoa
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