Operation Render Safe 2025 concluded this month after personnel prepared unexploded ordnance (UXO) for demolition on next year's mission.
Multinational teams worked throughout June in East New Britain, Papua New Guinea, to locate UXO left behind from World War 2.
Led by the Australian Defence Force, the reconnaissance mission involved personnel from PNG, the US, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, New Zealand and Canada.
Australian Army combat engineer Sapper Jack Furnyvall said collaboration was key to the success of the mission.
"It's great to have our internationals here - everyone comes together to make this a success," Sapper Furnyvall said.
He helped establish safe UXO storage and disposal areas and worked with locals to support land access arrangements. He said working with the community was one of the most rewarding parts of the deployment.
"Everyone's warm and welcoming. They know we're here to help make things safer for them and their families - that makes a difference," he said.
Teams surveyed jungle, farmland and coastal terrain, using local knowledge to identify priority areas.
Thousands of UXO items were located and marked for demolition next year.
Some ordnance was found close to homes, schools and gardens. Many had been buried for decades beneath volcanic ash, or disturbed as a result of farming.
US Marine Corps Staff Sergeant Gabriel Bell, an explosive ordnance disposal team leader, said the mission highlighted the strength of international cooperation.
"We're all sharing the same technical expertise - we may have different gear, but we have the same goal," Staff Sergeant Bell said.
"You come in not knowing anyone - by the end, you're a team."
He also praised the operation's leadership and planning.
"The Australians really nailed the planning for Render Safe; every detail was considered," he said.
