U.S. weighs stationing Patriot air defence systems in Palau
The U.S. and Palau are discussing the permanent deployment of advanced missile defense systems in the Pacific island nation, Palau President Surangel Whipps said part of Washington’s efforts to check China’s
Solomon Islands, Vanuatu to miss Pacific leaders’ meeting with President Biden
Solomon Islands Prime Minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has declined a White House invitation to meet with U.S. President Joe Biden at this week’s Pacific leaders’ summit. In a move that will further stoke
Pacific island countries to hold second summit next week with Biden
Pacific island countries will meet next week with U.S. President Joe Biden for a second summit with his country, the Secretary-General of the Pacific Islands Forum Henry Puna said on Monday. Puna made the announcement
Opinion: U.S. claims to Central Pacific flout International law
In defiance of international norms and rules, U.S. officials are laying claim to the large oceanic area in the central Pacific Ocean that is home to the compact states. Now that they are renewing the economic provisions
FFA to try again in PNG for U.S. treaty money distribution plan
Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency member countries have been unable to conclude an agreement for distribution of US$60 million a year that the United States government has promised for fishing access by the
Pacific countries urged to take advantage of geopolitical interests to support ocean governance
The Republic of Marshall Islands national ocean policy is premised on working ‘smarter’ and not ‘harder.’ Glen Joseph, the Director of the Marshall Islands Marine Resource Authority (MIMRA) said
Opinion: ‘Strategic Manipulation’
Was it a faux pas? Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General, Henry Puna has referred to the United States’ return to the region after 10 years of neglect with “the proliferation of regional strategies and
Marshall Islands reacts to U.S. expansion of nuclear compensation
Within days of United States congressional leaders and executive branch officials telling Marshall Islands leaders there was no more money for nuclear test compensation, the U.S. Senate passed legislation expanding
Crown Prince launches Tongan passport printing in U.S.
Over 70,000 Tongans living in the United States will now have access to Tongan passport printing services in California. Crown Prince Tupuoto‘a ‘Ulukalala launched the new Tongan passport printing services at the
Q&A: U.S. considering security guarantees for three Pacific Island nations
U.S. Congress is reviewing a proposal from President Joe Biden to create new security guarantees for three Pacific Island states: the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau. If Congress passes the Compacts of Free
Pentagon eyes missile testing role for Australia
Australia could be a testing ground for U.S. hypersonic and other long-range precision weapons under the AUKUS pact, a top Pentagon official told AFP on Wednesday. U.S. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth said
Superpower legacy: How the US continues to test nuclear victims
It is not often that Pacific church leaders must confront the fact that their people have been used for half a century as guinea pigs to further the military interests of a global superpower. And when the realisation
How officials bought luxury ‘government’ cars with funding for victims of U.S. nuclear testing
The hydrogen bomb exploded at 6.45am, vaporising three islands in a fireball four-and-a-half miles wide and sending a tower of radioactive debris high into the atmosphere. At 15 megatons, the Castle Bravo device –
Marshall Islands end U.S. Compact hold-out
When an 11th hour appeal for more nuclear test compensation by Marshall Islands leaders fell flat in the United States Congress in mid-July, the government endorsed a stalled funding agreement ending a seven-month
U.S. Ambassador Kennedy arrives in Honiara
United States Ambassador to Australia, Caroline Kennedy has arrived in Honiara Monday to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the sinking of President Kennedy’s Patrol Torpedo Boat and his rescue by Solomon Islands
President Whipps: U.S. radar makes Palau a ‘target’
The U.S. military’s plan to install a warning radar in Palau makes the Pacific country a “target” for potential foreign aggressors, President Surangel Whipps Jr said, stressing that the risk must be worth it. And
U.S. proposes military training for young civilians in Pacific island countries
Washington is proposing to provide military training to young civilians in Pacific island countries amid growing geopolitical tension in the region. Developing “young civilian defence leaders” in the Pacific islands
Opinion: Geopolitical competition and Solomon Islands: navigating the middle ground
Geopolitical competition can have adverse impact on third-party countries. We are seeing this in Solomon Islands, where domestic political discourses – at least in Honiara and on social media – are dominated by the
Congress prodded to finalise Compact package for freely associated states
Defence officials and territorial delegates have pressed both houses of Congress to tie up the proposed new economic packages under the Compacts of Free Association, noting the freely associated states’ critical role
U.S.-China competition: Blinken heading to NZ, Tonga, Australia
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken will visit the Pacific this week – his third foray to the region – to discuss security co-operation with New Zealand and Australia. The State Department said Blinken
Opinion: Vital to protect pro-Israel UN votes from Pacific nations
It is no secret that Israel is disproportionately singled out at the United Nations. Last year, the General Assembly approved 15 anti-Israel resolutions. That was two more than all of the other resolutions criticising
Palau president says U.S. ‘reactivating’ WWII airstrips in country
The president of Palau said the U.S. military is “reactivating” Palauan airstrips built by the Japanese during World War II, after being asked at a speaking event on Monday if America would have full access to his
Marshall Islands seeks U.S. apology, compensation for nuclear tests damage
The Marshall Islands on Tuesday called on Washington to pay “full” compensation for the health, environmental and cultural damage caused by 67 nuclear tests carried out by the American government, refusing to accept
Congressmen angry that Bikini islanders’ nuclear trust fund may have been ‘squandered’
Following widespread media coverage of the collapse of what was a more than US$70 million trust fund for Bikini islanders displaced by American nuclear weapons testing, the United States Congress has demanded answers