Palau president and U.S. commanders meet in Honolulu on security, maritime patrols and Peleliu runway upgrades

Palau President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. and senior U.S. officials met in Honolulu on 28 October for a U.S.-Palau Joint Committee Meeting on security cooperation, according to a release from Joint Task Force-Micronesia. The talks covered homeland defense, countering transnational organised crime and maritime security, and reaffirmed the partnership under the Compact of Free Association.

The Palau delegation included National Security Coordinator Jennifer Anson and senior government officials. The U.S. side brought leaders from U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Joint Task Force-Micronesia, the U.S. Embassy in Palau and the wider U.S. interagency. The meeting took place at the Hale Koa Hotel.

Infrastructure on Peleliu and Angaur

Alongside security, the delegations discussed U.S. joint service infrastructure plans in Palau. They include the future Palau Port and Harbor Improvement Project, improvements to the South Dock on Peleliu, a phased approach to runway improvements on Peleliu, and airfield marking projects on Peleliu and Angaur. The release says these projects support Palau’s civil transport, economic mobility and medical evacuation capability while also strengthening regional logistics.

What officials said

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Joshua Lasky, commander of Joint Task Force-Micronesia, said the meeting “delivered concrete progress on our shared security and economic goals”. He thanked Palau for its partnership in improving readiness for the defence of Palau and the region.

Stephen Dreikorn, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy in Koror, said the two countries would work to “strengthen our collective security” and deliver measurable benefits to both. Whipps said the two nations are “one team and one family”, and called the Compact of Free Association “a living bond” rooted in shared sacrifice and democratic values.

Background

Palau is made up of more than 340 islands in the western Pacific, bordering the Philippines. It became independent in 1981 and entered the Compact of Free Association with the United States in 1994. Under the compact, the United States takes responsibility for the defence of the islands. Joint Task Force-Micronesia says its role covers homeland defense, support to civil authorities and foreign humanitarian assistance in its area of operations.

The meeting comes during a month of heavy U.S. and allied activity in the western Pacific, including the Keen Sword 27 exercise that Geopolitiki has followed: Keen Sword 27: Japan and the US to drill defence of the south-western islands, with 45,000 Japanese troops and missiles on Yonaguni and Ishigaki. The release does not link the Palau talks to that exercise.

Official source: DVIDS release from Joint Task Force-Micronesia.