THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | OCTOBER 2024 45 as well as a deputy secretary of State responsible for Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands, both roles are now subsumed in larger portfolios. These changes are seen as inconsistent with U.S. claims of an increased focus on the region, even though the U.S. has also established a new envoy position to the Pacific Islands Forum. I think it is fair to acknowledge that some of our challenges in the region are in part a result of our bureaucratic approach and policy “own goals,” as our Australian friends would say, but this only heightens the challenges. So how can we make our rhetoric real in the Pacific? I have served multiple tours in various positions at our embassies in Palau, Australia, and Fiji, and as the foreign policy adviser with the U.S. Marine Corps Forces in the Pacific (MARFORPAC). While I am not the first to observe this, I agree that the future of America and our role globally will be determined by what happens in the Indo-Pacific. We need our best there. What We Are Doing in the Pacific At Embassy Koror, during my time as ambassador to the Republic of Palau, we prioritized three issues: the “3 Cs.” The first issue was the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and the competition with China playing out in Palau and across the Pacific Islands. The second was climate, and how the U.S. was working with partners to help vulnerable and low-lying island nations manage this threat to their existence. The third was what we called capacity—building up human capital as well as the bricks and mortar of infrastructure projects in these remote countries to strengthen development and their connection to the global economy. Palau is one of just 12 countries in the world that recognizes Taiwan. Although the PRC has no official relations with Palau, it is the focus of much attention from Beijing. In addition to Palau’s relationship with Taiwan, Koror’s location as the anchor of the Second Island Chain in the Pacific draws Beijing’s attention. The PRC has used coercive measures, involving criminal networks and economic pressure, to try to force Palau to switch recognition and distance itself from the U.S. We worked hard to push back against PRC interference and to support Palau by increasing U.S. military presence and strengthening good governance. We also worked with Palau and other partners in the Pacific on issues of shared concern, Many of the other announcements and plans for increasing U.S. engagement in the Pacific Islands remain contingent on additional funding. U.S. veterans and Gold Star families gather in Palau, Nov. 11, 2021. Ambassador Hennessey-Niland is third from left. U.S. EMBASSY KOROR
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