Late last month, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin visited the island nation of Fiji, a first for a U.S. secretary of defense. Though overdue, the discussions marked an important turning point for cooperation in a critical region for American national security interests.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka described the effort as guarding, protecting, and promoting peace in the Indo-Pacific.
Austin’s Nov. 22 visit to Fiji produced positive results. The U.S. and Fiji agreed to initiate negotiations on a Status of Forces Agreement and reached an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement to enhance logistical coordination. The U.S. pledged $4.9 million in security assistance to bolster Fiji’s military modernization efforts.
The Status of Forces Agreement will expand bilateral military cooperation between the U.S. and Fiji, establishing a framework by which U.S. personnel may operate in the country.
The agreement holds strong, positive implications for defense coordination between the U.S. and the island nation, with the intent to strengthen joint training initiatives and enable deployment of American troops to Fiji.
Modernization efforts will bolster maritime capacity, enhancing Fiji’s ability to secure its maritime boundaries, protect marine resources, and provide better disaster relief and rescue strategies.
Strengthening cooperation with Fiji is a great step, as it is one of only three Pacific Island nations with a standing military (the others being Papua New Guinea and Tonga). The United States shares sovereignty, economic, and security interests with the Pacific islands and should work to continue expanding regional cooperation through the Indo-Pacific.
Increased cooperation and modernization efforts will prove helpful in maintaining a peaceful region for Americans and Pacific Islanders alike. Austin labeled the Indo-Pacific as the United States’ “priority theater,” citing cooperation with Fiji and other island nations as “vital to a free and open Indo-Pacific.”
Indeed, the Pacific islands, largely overlooked in American diplomacy for decades, hold key geostrategic significance for countering Beijing’s security threats to the region and protecting freedom of transportation there.
These are worthy goals for the economic and security interests of American citizens.
China has postured with increasing belligerence throughout the Indo-Pacific, harassing the Philippine navy, escalating activities near the Taiwan Strait, and expanding investments far beyond the waters of the Pacific.
China’s actions are deliberate threats to the sovereignty of Indo-Pacific countries, as China consistently demonstrates its willingness to ignore international law and enflame tensions throughout the region.
Considering the Pacific border of the United States, which extends to the Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa, such Chinese aggression directly affects the safety of American citizens.
In the wake of China’s actions, Fiji has increasingly worked to reduce dependence on the communist regime, support relations with Taiwan, and partner with the United States, Australia, and New Zealand in security matters.
Fiji’s strategies for foreign engagement have long been subjected to the difficult act of balancing geopolitical rivals, particularly as a small nation reliant on foreign investment and international organizations.
With a recent policy articulation emphasizing human rights, liberal democracy, respect for sovereignty, and condemnation of coercion, Fiji opened the door to increased U.S. partnership.
This is a welcome development in the ongoing competition in the Indo-Pacific.
