KOROR — Palau’s first state visit to New Zealand by President Surangel Whipps Jr. on April 13 has coincided with a damning new report that says accelerated US military activity on the island republic is undermining environmental safeguards and leaving Palauans sidelined in decisions about their land and marine space.
The Guam-based Pacific Centre for Island Security published the Micronesia Security Outlook 2025, and the Palau chapter — authored by Jodean Remengesau, director of the Bureau of Agriculture in Palau’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment — argues that the “guardrails” built into US–Palau agreements are being rendered ineffective by a rapid buildup. “The US military had missed and fell short of fulfilling its duties and responsibilities under the compact of the US with Palau,” Remengesau writes in the report, citing failures to meet Palauan environmental laws and consultation requirements.
A central example cited is the clearance of land on Angaur, one of Palau’s 16 states, for a tactical mobile over‑the‑horizon radar site. The report says the work proceeded without an environmental earthmoving permit or community consultations required under Palauan law. It accuses contractors of dumping piles of shredded tree debris — described as inviting infestation by the invasive coconut rhinoceros beetle — on residents’ yards in a rushed attempt to manage the problem after clearance work had begun.
Angaur Governor Steven Salii took legal action over the incident in 2023. His suit named Palau’s central government, the Palau Environmental Quality Protection Board, the US government and military contractors, alleging the clearing of 271,807 square metres of land without the required environmental impact assessment and permits. The lawsuit is cited in the report as evidence of local pushback against how military work has been carried out.
The report also notes broader strategic pressures reshaping Palau. Under the renegotiated Compact of Free Association, the United States pledged an US$890‑million package to Palau over 20 years, with that funding cycle beginning on October 1, 2023. The compact gives the US exclusive use of Palauan land, waters and airspace for defence purposes while setting out environmental and other standards to be observed. The Micronesia Security Outlook 2025 says the compact’s financial support has increased Palau’s exposure to international security objectives and made the country more likely to be used for US military purposes.
Those geopolitical dynamics are playing out against a backdrop of rising US–China strategic competition in the western Pacific. The report highlights recent US projects in Palau, including a US$118‑million radar project that the military expects to be operational in 2026. It further asserts that infrastructure initially presented as a single, jointly used shoreline radar system was later disclosed to involve additional installations and expanded military purposes, a discrepancy that has exacerbated concerns over transparency and oversight.
Palauan officials and civil society have expressed mixed views: some see closer defence ties and development funds as security and economic lifelines, while others warn that rapid militarisation has tangible environmental and sovereignty costs. The timing of Remengesau’s report — published as President Whipps undertakes his historic state visit to New Zealand — will place these tensions on the diplomatic agenda at a moment when Palau is drawing increased international attention.
The Pacific Centre for Island Security’s findings add to a growing debate in Pacific capitals about how to balance strategic partnerships, environmental protection and local control. With the radar project slated to come online this year and the compact funding stream continuing, the report calls for stronger enforcement of Palauan laws, greater transparency from contractors and the US military, and more robust community consultation to prevent further conflicts over land and coastal use.
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