Pacific Island Countries/PICs

  • Global Commons

    Indo-Pacific nations lead U.N. peacekeeping efforts

    FORUM Staff Indo-Pacific countries have become top contributors to United Nations peacekeeping missions worldwide, and their accomplishments and sacrifices will be honored along with those of other nations on International Day of U.N. Peacekeepers. On May 29, the U.N. recognizes military personnel, police officers and civilians who have helped nations torn by conflict, including the thousands who died doing so.…

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  • Global Commons

    French-led Croix du Sud exercise highlights HADR, combat care

    FORUM Staff Troops conducted survival, combat, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response (HADR) drills during the French Armed Forces-led Croix du Sud exercise April 24 to May 6, 2023. Participants from 19 countries gathered in the South Pacific islands of New Caledonia, a French territory, to share skills and improve coordination and intervention capacities. Sgt. Kinsley Parent, a French combat…

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  • Global Commons

    U.S. Navy, Coast Guard begin Oceania security patrol

    Commander/U.S. 3rd Fleet Public Affairs The United States Navy and U.S. Coast Guard began a joint patrol in March 2023 in the Western Pacific under the Oceania Maritime Security Initiative (OMSI) to counter illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing, combat transnational crime and enhance regional security. “OMSI is imperative to ensure that the Western and Central Pacific Fisheries Commission (WCPFC) agreement…

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  • Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIP

    Japan boosting Pacific Island Country resilience through increased collaboration

    Marc Jacob Prosser Japan is focusing on multinational collaboration as it bolsters aid and development to increase resilience for Pacific Island Countries (PICs). “One of 2023’s biggest themes for Japan and its partners is moving from bilateral agreements and projects to multilateral approaches,” Shiozawa Hideyuki, leader of the Pacific Island Nations Program Team at the Sasakawa Peace Foundation in Washington,…

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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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  • Global CommonsElectricity transmission lines are installed in Kimbe in Papua New Guinea’s West New Britain province.

    Indo-Pacific partners boost Papua New Guinea’s power grid

    Marc Jacob Prosser Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the United States are collaborating with Papua New Guinea (PNG) to provide 70% of the Pacific Island Country’s population with reliable, grid-connected electricity by 2030. Many of the projects tie in with the U.S. $1.7 billion Papua New Guinea Electrification Partnership (PEP), established in 2018 to encourage private-public collaboration. The partnership aims…

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  • Global CommonsKimura Jiro, parliamentary vice minister of defense for Japan

    Partnership, preservation, protection: Camp Blaz epitomizes U.S. commitment in Guam, alliance with Japan

    FORUM Staff Steeped in history and fortified by Indo-Pacific partnerships, United States Marine Corps Base Camp Blaz on Guam’s northern plateau will play a crucial role in regional security and collective defense, U.S. military leaders and regional allies said during a January 2023 reactivation and naming ceremony for the base. “Forward, persistent presence is key to the regional security and…

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  • Free and Open Indo-Pacific/FOIPPalau President Surangel Whipps Jr. speaks during a United Nations General Assembly in September 2021.

    U.S. plans over-the-horizon radar facility in Palau

    BENAR NEWS The United States military plans to install over-the-horizon radar in Palau by 2026, adding to its early warning capabilities for the western Pacific as the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC) military strength increases. The U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) awarded a U.S. $120 million contract in late December 2022 to build reinforced foundations and pads in Palau for…

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  • Key Issues

    Timor-Leste maritime defense strengthened with patrol boats from Australia

    Tom Abke The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is training Timor-Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL) personnel in preparation for the arrival of two Australian-made, Guardian-class patrol boats in the island nation, slated for the second half of 2023. The vessels will be used to protect Timor-Leste’s interests in the Timor Sea and to enhance maritime defense engagement with partner nations, officials said.…

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  • Asymmetric Threats

    Countering Nontraditional Security Threats

    Nations must create strong partnerships to face evolving regional challenges

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