At the East-West Center this week, Pacific Island leaders gathered with military, private industry and U.S. State Department officials to talk about how to boost investment in the strategic region.
The second in command at the State Department, Deputy Secretary Chris Landau, launched the inaugural event billed as "The Pacific Agenda: Investment, Security, and Shared Prosperity Summit."
It ended with a U.S. commitment to help fund two undersea cables for connectivity in the remote areas — one for the Marshall Islands and one for American Samoa — as well as a commitment behind a new hospital for Palau with an agreement with Architects Hawaii.
Landau ended the two-day meeting on a note of possibilities with the private sector companies, both global and local. At the summit’s conclusion, Indo-Pacific Command also announced the U.S. would fund a position based in Honolulu to prosecute immigration crimes.
The Conversation talked with Palau President Surangel Whipps Jr. about two other developments with the island nation. The Palau Supreme Court this past weekend denied a restraining order to block a memorandum of understanding between the Trump administration and Palau. The deal would provide $7.5 million in exchange for Palau to accept immigrants that the U.S. wants to relocate from its shores. The Palau Senate opposed the deal.
HPR also talked with Guam Gov. Lou Leon Guerrero about what the U.S. territory was focused on during the summit. Aviation, sea mining and workforce capacity were key issues. Guam is also in the midst of an intense buildup of its military installations.
This story aired on The Conversation on Feb. 25, 2026. The Conversation airs weekdays at 11 a.m.
