This is CBSI in the world. I'm John Bapsu with my colleague and friend Gordon Chang at

Gordon G. Chang. Cleopascal, the foundation for the defensive democracies, is here to

update us on the intentions of the U.S. Congress and three important sovereign states in

Oceania, the vast Indo-Pacific. These three states in particular are the line of sight

between Hawaii and the Philippines and the South China Sea. In other words, in the event

of conflict, these three states are profound for the ability of the U.S. to reinforce its

allies.

Palau, the federated states of Micronesia and the Marshall Islands. We begin with the

Marshalls. Cleop, a very good evening to you. FSM, Palau and the Marshall Islands have

renewed their relationship with the U.S., but it's called the Compacts of Free Association.

There's a big butt here. What is it? It has to do with Congress. Good evening, Cleop.

Good evening. Yes, the Compacts of Free Association outline how this very unique and fundamentally

important relationship works between these three independent countries in the United States.

They are independent countries, but through the Compacts, they've assigned defense and security

rights exclusively to the United States. The U.S. can operate in Lansing and air in those

countries, militarily. It has strategic denial. It can veto other countries, militaries visiting

those, those, that area. It does give this incredible quarter of freedom of deployment

from Hawaii to, to the first island chain, to the Philippines to Taiwan. They, they,

they're contiguous with Guam and up to the, the, the Marianas. They're absolutely essential

for U.S. Pacific defense. And it was, that relationship was, was, you know, was created through,

through the blood of Americans who died in battles across that, that region battles like Palau

and Palau or truck in FSM. Those defense rates are not renewed. They're sort of continuous

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