The United States announced more than $44 million in new Pacific security programmes on 23 October 2026, encompassing a maritime training centre in Palau, regional policing initiatives, border surveillance upgrades and investigations into illicit finance. The commitments were unveiled following the inaugural US-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers, held in Los Angeles on 21–22 October.

Key Programmes in the Package

The centrepiece is a $7 million allocation to support the proposed Aumoana Regional Center in Palau — a maritime law-enforcement training and coordination facility. The centre would train personnel in vessel boarding, evidence handling and maritime situational awareness, and would also house American and regional liaison officers providing intelligence support.

A further $4 million would launch the Regional Interdiction Partnership for Trafficking Intelligence, Disruption, and Enforcement (RIPTIDE), working alongside Interpol and the World Customs Organization to connect border seizures with investigations into trafficking networks and their financial infrastructure. Customs training under RIPTIDE would specifically target routes exploited via private aviation and international mail.

Maritime Surveillance and Coast Guard Role

Nearly $5.5 million would fund a regional maritime awareness network, with planned investments in surveillance tools, secure communications and equipment for four Papua New Guinea fisheries patrol boats. An additional $4.5 million would support Project Kanaloa through the US Coast Guard, covering small-boat operations, boarding procedures, fisheries enforcement and maritime prosecutions.

The Coast Guard would also expand bilateral Shiprider operations, an arrangement under which officers from Pacific partner nations travel aboard American cutters and exercise their own countries' enforcement authority — a mechanism that has been a cornerstone of US Pacific maritime strategy for over a decade.

Law Enforcement and Financial Crime Initiatives

The FBI would receive $5 million for a programme strengthening Pacific police investigations into drug trafficking, bribery, money laundering and cybercrime. Homeland Security Investigations would administer a separate $2.5 million initiative focused on border and port security, including screening equipment, liaison officers and cooperation on active cases.

An additional $5 million would support financial-intelligence and cybercrime units, with training in cryptocurrency tracing, beneficial ownership investigations and digital forensics. Another $5 million would fund Pacific police academies through the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers.

Conference Participation and Bilateral Agreements

Ministers and senior officials from Pacific island countries attended the Los Angeles conference alongside representatives from Australia, New Zealand, France, regional organisations and US law-enforcement agencies. On the sidelines, the United States and Palau signed a letter of agreement to advance law-enforcement training and capabilities. The State Department noted that some regional programming could extend benefits to the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia.

Notably, the announcements build on a US commitment made at the Pacific Islands Forum in Palau on 1 September to convene police ministers around shared security challenges. The State Department's fact sheet clarified that the figures represent programming commitments and did not confirm that all funds had been disbursed or projects completed.

What Comes Next

The scale and breadth of the package signals a sustained US push to counter transnational criminal organisations — spanning drug trafficking, money laundering and cybercrime — operating across the Pacific. As competition for influence in the region intensifies, Washington's security-focused engagement is expected to deepen, with implementation timelines for individual programmes yet to be formally announced.