FOREIGN RELATIONS: Kwajalein Atoll Is the Key U.S. Defense Interest in Two Micronesian Nations
Abstract
In 1986, the U.S. government entered into separate international agreements known collectively as the Compact of Free Association with the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM) and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI). The Compact provided for the continuation of a defense arrangement that has connected the United States and these Pacific islands since the end of World War II. The Compact obligates the United States to defend these island nations against attack, while providing the United States with continued access to the Kwajalein Atoll in the RMI, which is used for missile testing and space tracking activities. Additional rights were retained by the United States under the Compact the ability to deny access to the islands by third-party militaries and block actions by the island governments that are incompatible with U.S. defense authority and responsibilities. These rights reflected Cold War concerns, such as Soviet influence in the Pacific, that existed at the time the Compact negotiations took place. Certain defense and economic assistance provisions of the Compact are due to expire in 2001.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 2002
- Accession Number
- ADA398528
Entities
Organizations
- United States Government Accountability Office