This is also a big story.
The U.S. military was simultaneously reforming its security posture in Palau and Micronesia (and probably the Marshall Islands as well). More and more, I'm concerned about the lackadaisical nature of this year's PALM(Pacific Islands Leaders Summit). It is good to see that maritime security is barely on the agenda.
President Panuelo of the Federated States of Micronesia visited the Indo-Pacific Command in Hawaii. I think he may have been called by US.
This is not just a diplomatic visit. It was an agreement for U.S. military involvement, and a very firm one at that.
The Federated States of Micronesia differs from Palau in that it has a long diplomatic relationship with China and has been subject to Chinese support and political interference for decades. This is most evident in the alleged conversion of Yap, on the second island chain, into a military base in the name of casino development.
Furthermore, the Federated States of Micronesia has four states, or islands, in its vast EEZ of three million square kilometers. The security of each state is almost non-existent; in 2019 a young American woman lawyer was shot dead by an islander while working to protect the human rights of women and children on the island.
The President said, "I asked the question ‘How will the United States defend the FSM?’—and the answer has never been clearer. The FSM is always so happy to extend peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our common humanity, and it’s a blessing and privilege to receive peace, friendship, cooperation, and love in our common humanity from our partners in the United States.”
The U.S. is serious. Japan Coast Guard can not join this US efforts. This is my aim to established Micronesia Sea-surveillance project in 2008, Japan to protect the Micronesian region with the United States as a new direction for the Japan-U.S. alliance.
