Federated States of Micronesia / FSM
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Conflicts - Tensions
Allies, Partners continue push against IUU fishing
FORUM Staff Seven years after the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed June 5 the International Day for the Fight against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing, Indo-Pacific Allies and Partners continue to lead the battle against an illicit activity that the U.N. says has “major implications for the conservation and management of ocean resources, as well as the food security…
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Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP
Long-standing shiprider agreements boost Free and Open Indo-Pacific, protect EEZs
FORUM Staff The shiprider program, the successful multilateral fisheries surveillance and law enforcement effort in the Indo-Pacific, traces its origins to the late 1980s when the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency recommended member countries develop a reciprocal enforcement agreement. The crew of the U.S. Coast Guard cutter Harriet Lane partners with local police, fisheries agencies and other officials in Fiji,…
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Oceania
U.S. bolsters partnerships with Pacific island nations
Benar News Renewal of close United States ties with the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), the Marshall Islands and Palau will strengthen regional security, leaders said after U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill that includes $7.1 billion for the three Pacific allies. “The FSM and the U.S. reached an agreement with an outcome that I am confident will benefit…
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Global Commons
Pacific Partnership 24-1 wraps final mission stop building humanitarian, disaster response
FORUM Staff The numbers are impressive: 7,667 pairs of prescription glasses and at least 7,440 pairs of sunglasses distributed; more than 6,847 dental procedures completed; nearly 4,000 hours of construction project labor provided; 300 surgeries conducted; and 38 concerts performed. That is the final tally of Pacific Partnership 24-1, which ended its five-mission tour in January 2024 in Chuuk, Federated…
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Northeast Asia
Task Force Koa Moana 23 strengthens South Pacific partnerships
FORUM Staff About 200 United States Marines and Sailors visited three South Pacific nations from June through September 2023 to bolster relationships, enhance infrastructure and improve citizens’ lives. Task Force Koa Moana 23 deployed in detachments to the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau and Papua New Guinea (PNG). Combat Logistics Battalion 11, part of the 1st Marine Logistics Group, conducted…
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Global Commons
Australia, Japan, U.S. to fund undersea cable connection in Micronesia
The Associated Press Japan announced in early June 2023 that it has joined Australia and the United States in a $95 million undersea cable project that will connect East Micronesia island nations to improve digital networks in the Indo-Pacific. The approximately 2,250-kilometer cable will connect the state of Kosrae in the Federated States of Micronesia, Tarawa in Kiribati and Nauru…
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Conflicts - Tensions
U.S. Coast Guard tackles IUU fishing, deepens partnerships in Oceania
FORUM Staff A collaborative mission of enforcement and engagement brought success on both fronts during the United States Coast Guard cutter Oliver Henry’s monthlong, 9,700-kilometer patrol of the Pacific Ocean. The fast-response cutter traversed the exclusive economic zones of partner nations Palau and the Federated States of Micronesia, as well as international waters between the Pacific Island Countries to counter…
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Oceania
Fiji investigates allegations of Chinese spying
VOICE OF AMERICA Fiji Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka vowed to investigate whether the Chinese Communist Party spied on a senior Pacific leader while he visited the island nation. David Panuelo, outgoing president of the Federated States of Micronesia, alleged to his country’s legislature that Chinese agents followed him in Fiji. An outspoken Beijing critic, he also has accused the People’s…
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Conflicts - Tensions
Micronesia’s outgoing president calls to cut ties with PRC, recognize Taiwan
Radio Free Asia The Federated States of Micronesia’s [FSM] outgoing president has called for his country to recognize Taiwan, accusing the People’s Republic of China (PRC) of “political warfare” in the strategically located Pacific Island Country (PIC). In a March 2023 letter to state governors and members of Micronesia’s Congress, President David Panuelo, pictured, said he met with Taiwan Foreign…
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Key Issues
Cope North 2023 hones strategic combat skills, coordination among Pacific partners
FORUM Staff Allies and partners in the Pacific launched exercise Cope North 2023 in February, bolstering their capacity for airborne force coordination, agile combat and humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR). The exercise, sponsored by United States Pacific Air Forces (PACAF), brought together about 2,000 members of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), French Air and Space Force, Japan Air…
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