The US has announced plans to install radar systems in Palau, a move that will increase its monitoring ability in the Western Pacific, which has recently been rocked by threats from North Korea.
In a joint statement, the US Department of Defense and the Palauan government said they were working to finalize the location of radar towers on the archipelago nation of 22,000 people.
“The radar systems will provide Palau enhanced maritime law enforcement capability ... while also providing the US with greater air domain awareness for aviation safety and security,” they said in the statement dated Monday.
While Palau is an independent nation, it has no military and the US is responsible for its defense under an agreement with Washington.
Under the deal, the US military has access to the islands, although it currently has no troops stationed there.
Palau is about 1,300km southwest of Guam, the US Pacific territory that Pyongyang threatened to fire missiles at earlier this month, sparking rhetoric of “fire and fury” from US President Donald Trump.
The statement said the US proposed the radar installation on July 18, before the recent crisis with North Korea erupted.
“This project is essential to the well-being of the Republic of Palau’s air and maritime domains, as well as to the ability of the United States to maintain its defense of the Republic of Palau,” the statement said. “The sites provided [for radar towers], which have yet to be finalized, have been chosen with an eye on minimizing environmental impacts.”
The Palauan government and the US embassy in Koror declined to comment further.
The radar system would help Palau monitor a massive 500,000km2 maritime sanctuary it created in 2015. The sanctuary — approximately the size of Spain — is difficult for Palau to police for illegal fishing.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS