Sec. 1277. Sense of Congress on commitment to the Republic of Palau
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Congress makes the following findings: The Republic of Palau is comprised of 300 islands and covers roughly 177 square miles strategically located in the western Pacific Ocean between the Philippines and the United States territory of Guam. The United States and Palau have forged close security, economic and cultural ties since the United States defeated the armed forces of Imperial Japan in Palau in 1944. The United States administered Palau as a District of the United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands from 1947 to 1994.
In 1994, the United States and Palau entered into a 50-year Compact of Free Association which provided for the independence of Palau and set forth the terms for close and mutually beneficial relations in security, economic, and governmental affairs. The security terms of the Compact grant the United States full authority and responsibility for the security and defense of Palau, including the exclusive right to deny any nation's military forces access to the territory of Palau except the United States, an important element of our Pacific strategy for defense of the United States homeland, and the right to establish and use defense sites in Palau.
The Compact entitles any citizen of Palau to volunteer for service in the United States Armed Forces, and they do so at a rate that exceeds that of any of the 50 States. In 2009, and in accordance with section 432 of the Compact, the United States and Palau reviewed their overall relationship. In 2010, the two nations signed an agreement updating and extending several provisions of the Compact, including an extension of United States financial and program assistance to Palau, and establishing increased post-9/11 immigration protections.
However, the United States has not yet approved this Agreement or provided the assistance as called for in the Agreement. Beginning in 2010 and most recently on February 22, 2016, the Department of the Interior, the Department of State, and the Department of Defense have sent letters to Speaker of the House of Representatives and the President Pro Tempore of the Senate transmitting the legislation to approve the 2010 United States Palau Agreement including an analysis of the budgetary impact of the legislation.
The February 22, 2016, letter concluded, Approving the results of the Agreement is important to the national security of the United States, stability in the Western Pacific region, our bilateral relationship with Palau and to the United States’ broader strategic interest in the Asia-Pacific region. On May 20, 2016, the Department of Defense submitted a letter to the Chairmen and Ranking Members of the congressional defense committees in support of including legislation enacting the agreement in the fiscal year 2017 National Defense Authorization Act and concluded that its inclusion advances United States national security objectives in the region.
It is the sense of Congress that— to fulfill the promise and commitment of the United States to its ally, the Republic of Palau, and reaffirm this special relationship and strengthen the ability of the United States to defend the homeland, Congress and the President should promptly enact the Compact Review Agreement signed by the United States and Palau in 2010; and Congress and the President should immediately seek a mutually acceptable solution to approving the Compact Review Agreement and ensuring adequate budgetary resources are allocated to meet United States obligations under the Compact through enacting legislation, including through this Act.