US working to expand control over Compact states in the Pacific
Monday, February 16, 2026
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The Trump administration is working to reassert US control over the compact states, with State Department official Tony Greubel stating that the region is "increasingly central to United States security and global stability" and lawmakers calling for the preservation of US military controls in the area, citing the need to maintain a "foothold" in the region.
The compact states, which include Palau, the Marshall Islands, and the Federated States of Micronesia, have limited sovereignty due to the compact of free association (COFA) arrangement, which grants the US exclusive military rights and access to the region, with the US providing $7.1 billion in funding over 20 years in exchange for these privileges.
US leaders are exaggerating the scope of their powers in the region, with Representative Teresa Leger Fernández falsely claiming that the compacts provide the US with control over a vast oceanic highway, while officials are tracking Chinese influence and warning of a battle for control of the compact states, despite the more pressing threat of climate change, which Pacific Island leaders like Wesley Simina, president of the Federated States of Micronesia, describe as an "existential threat" to their homelands.
