ABSTRACT
In this chapter, Alan Tidwell discusses the United States’ role in security cooperation and calls for greater cohesiveness across US programs. Tidwell urges the US to develop a Pacific Islands strategy that builds on both traditional and non-traditional cooperation, including by moving beyond the defence interests prioritised by INDOPACOM. He highlights that when the US considers security cooperation in the Pacific Islands region it is primarily seen within a geopolitical context, and conveyed through the legal structures of US global security cooperation and the existing relationships through the Compacts of Free Association. While the US Department of Defense works with the Department of State on security cooperation, Tidwell suggests that US activities in the Pacific Islands could be more cohesive, with the relationship between Tonga and the US (through the Nevada National Guard) an example of how this could occur. Tidwell also proposes that, while the US provides support to address challenges such as illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing and climate change, these could be expanded beyond standardised programmes that are provided worldwide and be tailored to the Pacific Islands region.
