Pasifik Secure

Australian rifles, private guns and PNG’s 2027 election lowyinstitute.org/the-interp… Security firms are armed up leading into polling season, but who do they answer to?

Subsea cable push fijitimes.com.fj/subsea-cabl… The existing Southern Cross subsea cable system, which has anchored regional internet traffic since the turn of the millennium, is officially facing decommissioning, forcing major network reconfigurations.

Why Tonga’s Chinese debt won’t be forgiven, and who pays instead devpolicy.org/why-tongas-chi… Canberra is the indirect payer on debts it had no part in incurring. But it is currently happening by default rather than by design.

China’s “Military-to-Military” Proposal Fizzles as Australia & Timor-Leste Sign Defense Cooperation Framework eurasiantimes.com/chinas-mil… China said its Defense Minister, Dong Jun, met with Timor Leste leaders in Dili and offered to take military-to-military relations to a new level.

Securing the Pacific Together: U.S. Commitments at the Inaugural U.S.-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers (COPMIN) state.gov/releases/office-of… More than $44 million in new programs announced countering transnational crime in the Pacific and threatening the American people

‘Cut the umbilical cord’: Bougainville’s bid to break away from Papua New Guinea faces reckoning theguardian.com/world/2026/o… MPs in PNG to decide this parliamentary sitting on ratifying a 2019 referendum in which Bougainvilleans voted overwhelmingly in favor of independence.

Australian Defence Force to start recruiting 100 uni students under Pukpuk treaty thenational.com.pg/australia… Those accepted into the program must also apply for Australian citizenship when eligible, as citizenship is required for continued military service in the ADF.

U.S.-Pacific Islands Conference of Police Ministers (COPMIN) – “Securing the Pacific Together” state.gov/releases/office-of… The U.S. hosts the inaugural COPMIN, bringing together Pacific police leaders to confront transnational criminal networks threatening the region.

NZ ramps up maritime surveillance in Pacific drug crackdown 1news.co.nz/2026/10/19/nz-ra… There's plans to expand the use of uncrewed vessels to fight the rapidly increasing drug trade flooding the region along with other major security risks.

Vanuatu says it expects fall in China's police presence after signing Nakamal Agreement with Australia abc.net.au/news/2026-10-19/v… A potentially significant strategic win for Canberra which believes Beijing is using police training to embed itself as a Pacific security partner.

New Era for Pacific Policing: Police Chiefs Endorse PACPOL nationaltribune.com.au/new-e… In a landmark decision Pacific Police Chiefs have endorsed the Constitution of the Pacific Community of Policing (PACPOL), formally establishing a new era of Pacific-led policing cooperation.

NEW ARTICLE: Whose security is it anyway? Is the Pacific’s climate-security frame facing a hostile takeover? linkedin.com/pulse/whose-sec… As Britain drives a new 'climate security' agenda before COP31, the Pacific risks losing authorship of a frame it wrote first.

Much Greenland news lately. Meantime, on the opposite side of the world… rnz.co.nz/news/pacific/14284… U.S. military presence at Cook Islands port 'being negotiated', ambassador says

55th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting, Palau, 31 August – 3 September 2026, Leaders Meeting Communique. forumsec.org/publications/le… In Koror, Leaders quietly did some serious institution-building pointing to a region formalizing its own security cooperation on its own timeline.

NZ and U.S. to build major port on former military base in Cook Islands 1news.co.nz/2026/09/01/nz-an… The U.S. throws down a gauntlet in the Pacific revealing it’s to develop a deep sea port in the Cook Islands – with NZ playing a core role and contributing to the cost.

Who controls the Pacific’s communications? devpolicy.org/who-controls-t… At both ends of the system through which information travels, Pacific countries are increasingly dependent on infrastructure and technology controlled elsewhere.

Kiribati considers constitutional change to cement diplomatic recognition of China abc.net.au/news/2026-08-26/k… The bill doesn't mention China or Taiwan but specifies diplomatic relations must only be maintained with UN members or permanent observers, which excludes Taiwan.

China ‘Likely’ Ran Targeted Campaign To Align Pacific With Its Latest Five-Year Plan eurasiareview.com/23082026-c… Analysts warn success could deepen economic dependence, reduce Taiwan recognition, and shift institutional norms.

Why the Pacific Islands Forum Should Watch Taiwan’s East Coast thediplomat.com/2026/08/why-… The waters east of Taiwan sit within a strategically integrated maritime space stretching from Northeast Asia, through Micronesia and Melanesia, to Polynesia.

Chinese research vessel sparks alarm in Palau after repeated incursions abc.net.au/news/2026-08-13/c… Security experts fear the vessel and dozens of others might be gathering intelligence for a military purpose that could aid Beijing in the event of a future conflict over Taiwan.