U.S. pledges over $44 million to boost Pacific police, maritime surveillance and border security

The United States disclosed a security program of more than $44 million for Pacific island partners during the inaugural U.S.-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers in Los Angeles. The plan funds a $7 million regional maritime law-enforcement training centre in Palau, a $5.5 million maritime-awareness package for shared surveillance, and upgrades to Papua New Guinea patrol vessels with advanced cameras and radar.

Tonga will receive roughly $3.5 million for cargo-screening equipment and canine-detection facilities, while the FBI will provide $5 million for drug-trafficking, bribery, money-laundering and cybercrime investigations. Further allocations support financial-intelligence units, police academy curriculum development and a $5 million maritime cooperation effort through the Coast Guard’s Project Kanaloa. The State Department says the effort counters a criminal network moving narcotics and precursor chemicals across the Pacific, linking drug production in the Americas and Asia to regional markets. Delegates from Pacific nations, Australia, New Zealand, France and regional bodies attended the conference.