Island Security Explainers

Short, sourced guides to the frameworks, institutions and problems behind island public safety. Each explainer is written by ISPI Research Staff, cites its sources and links to the ISPI research it draws on. For the underlying figures, see ISPI Data.

Pacific frameworks explained

• What Is the Pacific Islands Forum?
  The Pacific's main political body: 18 members, founded in 1971, Secretariat in Suva, Fiji, and how it handles regional security.
• What Is the Biketawa Declaration?
  The Forum's crisis-response pact, adopted in Kiribati in 2000 and last invoked on May 8, 2026 for the fuel crisis.
• What Is the Samoa Pathway?
  The UN framework adopted in 2014 for small island developing states, and what it means for island security.
• The Compacts of Free Association and Public Safety
  What the 2024 renewal changed for FSM, Marshall Islands and Palau citizens in the U.S., from the CRS record.
• Pacific Undersea Cables Explained
  What the cables carry, what breaks them, what Tonga's outages showed and why islands are exposed.

Island emergency management

• What Is Island Emergency Management?
  Why continental frameworks assume neighbors and road access that island communities do not have.
• How to Apply an Island Emergency Management Framework
  A step-by-step guide for agencies, resorts, utilities and healthcare facilities in island settings.
• How to Conduct an Insular Vulnerability Audit
  How to assess an island organization's preparedness against island-specific standards.

Insider threat

• What Is Insider Threat in Island Organizations?
  Why standard programs struggle in small communities where everyone knows everyone.
• How to Implement an Insider Threat Program in a Small Island Organization
  A practitioner guide to adapting CISA and DHS program elements for small island organizations.

Trackers and data

• HPD Staffing Shortage Tracker
  Honolulu police vacancies, recruits and retirements from public records, updated monthly.

Want a briefing on one of these topics for your organization? See commission research. To hear about new explainers, subscribe to the Island Security Brief.