Guam

China watches as the U.S. fumbles around in central Pacific

...

NATO Isn’t Defending Guam, But Others Are

NATO provisions don’t include security guarantees for American Pacific Territories. But other U.S. treaty allies do—which is why this week’s meetings in D.C. are so important

In the Pacific, U.S. bureaucracy messes up against PRC influence operation

I have no idea what the U.S. State Department was thinking. But if the goal was to help honest people in a highly strategic country that is also a close ally protect themselves against Chinese influence...

War flashbacks in Guam as China projects power in the Pacific

Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, the Governor of Guam, a US territory, is not just waiting for the rest of the US to come save them. In this interview conducted in July, she describes some of the initiatives she is hoping to get off the ground so Guam is better able to defend itself.

Former President of Federated States of Micronesia David W. Panuelo Warns Country Could See Democratic Backsliding

New, exclusive interview with former President of Federated States of Micronesia, David W. Panuelo.

Northern Mariana: Time to close China’s backdoor into the U.S.

‘The Northern Marianas economy continues to struggle, and the government remains in deep fiscal distress. These are conditions that make the commonwealth acutely vulnerable to CCP exploitation’.

Politics Risk Derailing One of America’s Most Important Strategic Agreements

China is the biggest winner from the current train wreck that is the Marshall Islands–United States COFA negotiations.

U.S. fighting China on the wrong battlefield

While the U.S. has been focused on preparing for the kinetic warfare battlefield, China has been registering big wins on the political warfare battlefield. You can see it all over the Pacific Islands.

Palau under CCP pressure to switch recognition from Taiwan to China

The President of Palau, Surangel Whipps Jr., speaks to The Sunday Guardian on what his Pacific Island Country is facing.

A C2 Structure for a Strong U.S.-Japan Alliance

This commentary is part of the Exploring New Horizons: Japan’s Defense Priorities project, a CSIS Japan Chair initiative featuring analysis by leading Japanese and American scholars examining the implications...

How the Compacts of Free Association Support U.S. Interests and Counter the PRC’s Influence | Indo-Pacific Task Force

Indo-Pacific Task Force

Preserving U.S. Interests in the Indo-Pacific

...

Baker’s Dozen: Thirteen Recommendations to Improve Deterrence in the Western Pacific

The United States Department of Defense (DOD), with the support of both Congress and the U.S. defense industrial base, has built the preeminent military force in the world. The United States has unmatched power projection capability, the ability to establish air and maritime dominance far from its shores, the resources to execute large scale ground maneuver operations, and the ability to conduct brigade-level amphibious operations. But despite all this, the United States will not be ready to deter and defeat America’s most capable adversary — China — in the demanding military environment the United States will face in the next few years in the western Pacific.

Beijing’s Subversive Political Warfare in the Pacific—and the Need for Greater Engagement by the United States and Taiwan

Honduras has said it intends to shift diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China. We know this story: with the exception of 2007, when St. Lucia switched from Beijing to Taipei, the trend has run in this...

Micronesia’s President Writes Bombshell Letter on China’s ‘Political Warfare’

Outgoing President David Panuelo released a lengthy letter detailing Beijing’s efforts to bribe and bully Micronesian leaders – and exploring the possibility of recognizing Taiwan instead.

Biden Administration Foreign Policy Tracker: November

AUKUS Special Operations Forces in Strategic Competition, Integrated Deterrence, and Campaigning: Resistance to Malign Activities

On September 15, 2021, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States formed AUKUS(Open Link in new window), which is described as a trilateral security partnership designed to make it easier to...

US moves on Pacific islands, but barely

The last two weeks have seen some of the most frantic US activity related to the Pacific Islands since the end of World War II. A lot happened. It’s like a plane suddenly dropped a cargo of randomly-sized boulders into a lake with varied depths. Some initiatives will sink, others may become essential islands of security in rough weather, some might inadvertently hit and sink the boats of allies.

The rodeo that was the Pacific Islands Forum meeting

Fiji’s capital Suva is turning into Vienna in the 1930s, when ‘diplomats’ from around the world spied on each other and sent cables home about who was sleeping with whom. Meanwhile, across the border, the war machine was roaring into life.

U.S. Should FACE Facts in the Pacific

The United States needs an engagement policy with the Pacific Island Countries (PICs) that is Flexible, Appropriate, Coordinated and Effective (FACE). FLEXIBLE It needs to show flexibility when working...