Is Palau the key to the Marine Corps’ fight against China?

During Defense Secretary Mark Esper’s stop at the tiny island nation of Palau he visited civil affair compounds and met with high ranking government officials, building on a relationship with the country that has seen U.S. troops rotate through for more than 40 years.

The relationship between the U.S. and Palau ― a tiny Pacific island near the Philippines ― was formalized in the 1994 Compact of Free Association, which saw the U.S. take over the country’s national defense.

During Esper’s late August visit, Palau’s President Thomas Remengesau proposed an increase to the American presence there, a potential boon for the Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger’s plan to face China and for the future of the Marine Corps.

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