A Pacific Policy Inventory for the Trump Administration

September 15, 2026 17 min read Download Report

Andrew Harding

Policy Analyst, National Security and Indo-Pacific Affairs

Andrew is a Policy Analyst for National Security and Indo-Pacific Affairs at The Heritage Foundation.

Summary

This Pacific Policy Inventory compiles publicly reported actions by the Trump Administration that involve Pacific Island countries from January 2025 through September 2026. Each separately reported agreement, funding announcement, project, exercise, deployment, visit, or other action is counted as one entry. Each entry is listed based on its content at the time of its reporting. The Pacific Policy Inventory measures engagement, not outcomes, and may omit some activities. Intentions and implementation status may change.

Key Takeaways

Even without a strategy document, the Trump Administration’s Pacific Islands strategy is rooted in U.S. interests.

The Trump Administration has announced, implemented, or expanded more than 100 publicly reported Pacific-related actions and initiatives across multiple domains.

This approach emphasizes partnership over dependence, prosperity over assistance, and deliverables over declarations—and is visible in the Pacific Policy Inventory.

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The Issue

The Pacific Policy Inventory presented here compiles publicly reported Trump Administration actions involving Pacific Island countries from January 2025 through September 2026. Each separately reported agreement, funding announcement, project, exercise, deployment, visit, or other action is counted as one entry. Each entry is listed based on its content at the time of its reporting. The Pacific Policy Inventory measures engagement, not outcomes, and may omit some activities. Intentions and implementation status may change. (This inventory is also available in the appendix to the Heritage Backgrounder No. 3981 “‘Aloha and Stay Tuned’: The Trump Administration’s Pacific Policy Inventory.”

U.S. Economic Engagements with the Pacific Islands

Digital Connectivity and Telecommunications

Declared intent to provide $6 million to connect Tonga and Samoa to Pacific Connect.
Declared intent to provide $1 million for trusted cloud infrastructure in Tonga.
Funded two Pacific digital-transformation reverse trade missions.
Expanded Pacific Connect to the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI) and American Samoa with $132 million.
Supported the more than $95 million East Micronesia Cable.
Provided $7.5 million for Central Pacific Connect branches serving the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), RMI, and Kiribati.
Provided $5 million for Tuvalu’s Central Pacific Connect spur.
Proposed $4.5 million for terrestrial cable infrastructure.
Proposed $30 million for satellite Internet in Papua New Guinea.

Infrastructure and Transportation

Signed an Open Skies agreement with Samoa.
Funded scoping for Tonga fuel infrastructure.
Funded infrastructure feasibility studies in Kiribati, Tonga, the RMI, and Fiji.
Announced a U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) project to modernize Tonga’s data center infrastructure.
Declared intent to expand the Cloud Global Pacific Program across the Pacific.
Funded telecommunications and digital transformation programs and matched U.S. technology companies with Pacific governments.

Investments, Finance, and Development

Declared intent to provide $50 million to upgrade a port in Penrhyn, Cook Islands.
Announced a $12 million Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) grant for feasibility studies to inform a Fiji compact program.
Set digital technology and energy as Tonga MCC priorities.
Selected Fiji to develop an MCC compact program.
Approved Tonga to develop an MCC threshold program.
Provided $1.5 million for Pacific correspondent-banking connectivity.
Signed a U.S.–Solomon Islands Investment Incentive Agreement enabling U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) engagement.
Signed a U.S.–Vanuatu Investment Incentive Agreement enabling DFC engagement.

Critical Minerals and Energy Security

Cooperated with Tonga on seabed-minerals research.
Declared intent to provide $3.3 million for Cook Islands deep-sea research.
Declared intent to provide $250,000 in seabed-minerals assistance to the Cook Islands.
Declared intent to conduct joint critical-minerals surveys with Papua New Guinea.
Deployed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ship Okeanos Explorer to map Cook Islands waters.
Declared intent to provide $60 million to address global energy costs.
Announced a USTDA project to upgrade Tonga’s fuel-supply reliability.

Regional Assistance and Fisheries

Released $60 million in 2025 for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency.
Released $60 million in 2026 for the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency.

U.S. Security Engagements with the Pacific Islands

Maritime Security and Illegal Fishing

Joined Operation Ika Moana against illegal fishing and transnational crime.
Declared intent to provide $2.5 million for coastal-fisheries compliance.
Declared intent to provide $540,000 for maritime identification systems in Tonga and Samoa.
Signed an enhanced shiprider agreement with Tonga.
Reaffirmed shiprider agreements and Coast Guard homeporting in Oceania.
Conducted joint U.S.–Tuvalu maritime law-enforcement operations.
Transferred a boat ramp and three patrol boats to Fiji; announced two more.
Completed a record 32 boardings during a joint U.S.–Fiji patrol.
Conducted 2025 Operation Blue Pacific patrol by U.S. Coast Guard Cutter (USCGC) William Hart.
Conducted 2026 Operation Blue Pacific patrol by USCGC William Hart.
Conducted 2025 Operation Blue Pacific deployment by USCGC Midgett.
Conducted 2025 Operation Blue Pacific patrol by USCGC Myrtle Hazard.
Conducted the first Operation Blue Pacific patrol by USCGC Hollyhock.
Shifted the Coast Guard Expeditionary Cutter Squadron to the Western Pacific.
Joined Australia, France, and New Zealand in Operation Nasse against illegal fishing.
Used $11 million in foreign military financing for Papua New Guinea security and disaster response.
Conducted Exercise Tamiok Strike 2025 with Papua New Guinea.
Signed a Framework for Strategic Cooperation with Papua New Guinea.
Conducted Exercise Tamiok Strike 2026 with Papua New Guinea.
Conducted Exercise Tenacious Archer 2026 in Palau.
Declared intent to provide $17 million to counter illegal, unreported, and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

Security Infrastructure and Capacity Building

Declared intent to provide $500,000 for Fiji naval communications.
Provided $138,000 in protective equipment for Samoan law enforcement.
Declared intent to provide $5 million for Palau airport infrastructure and Fiji cyber assistance.
Programmed Papua New Guinea port and airport military construction.
Declared intent to provide a U.S. law-enforcement resident adviser to Papua New Guinea.
Expanded Papua New Guinea’s unexploded-ordnance program to $4.25 million.

U.S. Diplomatic Engagements with the Pacific Islands

Senior-Level and People-to-People Engagement

Deputy Secretary Christopher Landau met representatives of 10 Pacific countries.
Awarded Young Pacific Leaders grants to 13 teams.
Deputy Secretary Landau held a Papua New Guinea Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) roundtable and visited Palau and the RMI.
Admiral Samuel Paparo and Deputy Secretary Landau visited the RMI.
Hosted a Young Pacific Leaders workshop on maritime, cyber, and health security.
Admiral Steve Koehler visited Samoa and Vanuatu for Pacific Partnership 2025.
Assistant Secretary Michael DeSombre and Assistant Secretary Bill Hague visited the RMI and the FSM.
Deputy Secretary Landau visited Tonga, Fiji, and Samoa.
Conducted the second U.S.–Papua New Guinea Strategic Partnership Dialogue and signed a law-enforcement cooperation agreement.
Assistant Secretary DeSombre visited Papua New Guinea.
Admiral Paparo visited Palau.
Deputy Assistant Secretary Matthew Murray visited Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands.
Signed a U.S.–Solomon Islands memorandum of understanding (MOU) to recover missing U.S. personnel.
Deputy Secretary Landau met Solomon Islands Prime Minister Matthew Wale and announced new Peace Corps, DFC, and MCC initiatives, as well as an expansion of the U.S. unexploded-ordnance removal program.
Ambassador Jared Novelly presented credentials and made his first Samoa visit.
Deputy Secretary Landau, along with interagency partners, traveled to Palau for the PIF Leaders Meeting, as well as to the FSM, the Solomon Islands, and Kiribati.
Announced the inaugural U.S.–Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers (COPMIN).

Economic, Diplomatic, and Business Engagement

Deputy Secretary Landau addressed the U.S.–Pacific Islands Business Forum.
Hosted the 2026 U.S.–Pacific Islands Investment Summit in Honolulu.
Declared intent to host a second U.S.–Pacific Islands Investment Summit in 2027.

Public Health, Humanitarian, and Weather Assistance

Declared intent to provide $5.14 million for Fiji disease surveillance.
Provided regional dengue-surveillance assistance, including to Naoero (Nauru).
Supported the launch of the Pacific Vector Network.
Supported Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and regional health-security partnerships.
Provided $26.95 million through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) for HIV/AIDS programs in Papua New Guinea.
Provided disaster assistance to the Solomon Islands after Tropical Cyclone Maila.
Signed a five-year, up-to-$15 million U.S.–Papua New Guinea health MOU.
Supported Fiji training on low-cost 3D-printed weather stations.
Conducted Pacific Partnership 2025 in seven Pacific countries and the Philippines.
Conducted disaster-response training in Lae, Papua New Guinea.

U.S. Engagements with The Freely Associated States (FAS)

Federated States of Micronesia (FSM)

Held the semiannual U.S.–FSM defense and security meeting.
Awarded $1.58 million for FSM technical and service assistance.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met President Wesley Simina and agreed to advance planning for $2 billion infrastructure projects in Yap.
Conducted Operation Rematau supporting FSM maritime enforcement, humanitarian supply deliveries, and restoration of a tsunami early-warning station.

Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI)

Provided $13 million with Taiwan to rebuild the RMI’s parliament.
Paired the RMI with the Guam and Nebraska National Guards through the State Partnership Program.
Signed an enhanced shiprider agreement with the RMI.
Announced fire safety and Delap Dock improvements for the RMI.
Provided $8.3 million with Taiwan for aircraft for Air Marshall Islands, the RMI-owned airline.
Continued U.S.–RMI Compact of Free Association (COFA) implementation and planning for approximately $100 million.
Conducted a March 2026 five-day Oil Spill Response Workshop with the RMI.
Provided drug-testing kits and unexploded-ordnance training to the RMI police.
Sent a Department of Energy delegation to the RMI to discuss nuclear-legacy issues.
Convened the first U.S.–RMI Annual Nuclear Legacy Meeting since 2019.
Approved USTDA funding to modernize the RMI’s Majuro and Ebeye ports.
Announced a USTDA project to modernize the RMI’s mobile network.

Republic of Palau

Announced a $2.37 million feasibility study for Palau hospital relocation.
Provided $2 million for security initiatives.
Committed $26 million to preserve Palau’s civil-service pension system.
Granted Palau $7.5 million under a third-country national transfer MOU.
Provided $20 million in budget support.
Advanced a $12 million project to rehabilitate Peleliu’s South Dock.
Advanced a project to modernize and expand Malakal Port.
Announced a joint Environmental Protection Agency–Taiwan drinking-water-sampling project.

Regional Implementation and Cooperation

Held annual U.S.–FSM and U.S.–RMI COFA economic meetings.
Awarded $250,000 each to 11 territorial and FAS finance offices.
Completed Operation Irensia 2026 with Australia and FAS crews.
Announced $3 million for a U.S. Department of Justice prosecutor to support FAS in prosecuting transnational-crime cases.
Conducted Koa Moana 25 across Palau and the FSM.
Declared intent to establish the Peace Corps North Pacific program.