Punching Above Their Weight: The Homeland Security Contributions of the U.S. Pacific Territories
Abstract
While the United States Pacific territories were brought into the U.S. fold in recognition of their importance to national security, today many Americansincluding many policy makersseem to be unfamiliar with the U.S. Pacific territories and their strategic value. This thesis addresses the question, What is the value of the United States Pacific territoriesGuam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), and American Samoato the nations homeland security, and what are the strategic implications of that value? Secondary sources such as congressional testimony, military doctrine and unclassified plans, and governmental reports were analyzed to answer that question, using the framework of the DIME (diplomatic, informational, military, and economic) instruments of national power to assess the overlap of homeland security missions with national security interests. While the territories contribute to the nations security, the lack of coordinated and informed management by the federal government to these territories, including homeland security missions that have at times been at odds with U.S. military interests, prevents a full realization of their potential. Recommendations are made for reexamination of legal, process, and funding approaches to the U.S. Pacific territories by the federal government, including homeland security agencies.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 2019
- Accession Number
- AD1073677
Entities
People
- Colby E. Stanton
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School