Continental public safety frameworks assume geographic redundancy, mutual aid, and workforce interchangeability. Islands have none of these. Adapting continental frameworks for island communities is structurally insufficient — replacement frameworks are required.
Abstract
The foundational ISPI research document establishing why mainstream public safety frameworks systematically fail island communities. Documents five structural differences between island and continental security environments and establishes the case for island-specific research frameworks. All ISPI research is free under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.
Key Findings
Continental emergency management assumes mutual aid from adjacent jurisdictions — a condition that does not exist in any island community worldwide
Island workforce irreplaceability means critical positions cannot be backfilled from adjacent labor markets when vacated
Social density in island communities creates structural reporting barriers that standard insider threat and behavioral assessment programs do not account for
Summary of the paper
"Island-State Security: Why Mainstream Frameworks Fail Pacific and Coastal Communities" is ISPI's foundational research report. It asks whether existing public safety, emergency management and security frameworks work as designed in island and coastal communities, and what island-specific frameworks would need to address.
It uses the 2023 Lahaina wildfire, as documented in the independent review for the Hawaii Attorney General, to show how frameworks built on continental assumptions such as mutual aid across shared borders and redundant evacuation routes meet island geography.
What the paper finds
- Five structural conditions set islands apart: geographic isolation and limited mutual aid, supply chain singularity, law enforcement workforce constraints, concentrated population vulnerability, and distinctive insider threat dynamics.
- Adaptation is not enough, in ISPI's analysis. The report argues that island frameworks should be built from first principles rather than modified from continental baselines.
- The continental assumption runs through federal frameworks. The report traces how the Incident Command System and critical infrastructure guidance assume neighbors that can send resources within hours.
What it recommends
- Develop island-specific frameworks in each of the five domains rather than adapting continental models.
- Treat geographic isolation as a design parameter in emergency planning, supply chain policy and workforce planning.
- Use the report's five conditions as the analytical basis for the rest of ISPI's research program.
Who it's for
State and territorial policymakers, emergency managers, public safety leaders, and researchers working on island and coastal communities.
The five structural conditions documented in this paper apply equally across all 39 SIDS — Pacific, Caribbean, Atlantic, Indian Ocean, and Mediterranean. The Samoa Pathway (2014) identifies governance capacity, disaster risk reduction, and climate security as the three priority areas for SIDS communities. All three are public safety domains addressed by this framework.
Cite as
Pulley, Warren (2026). Island-State Security: Why Mainstream Frameworks Fail Pacific and Coastal Communities — And What Policymakers Must Build Instead (ISPI WP-01). Island Security Policy Institute, Honolulu. https://ispiglobal.com/papers-landing/wp01-island-state-security https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23450042
BibTeX
@techreport{ispiwp012026,
author = {Pulley, Warren},
title = {Island-State Security: Why Mainstream Frameworks Fail Pacific and Coastal Communities — And What Policymakers Must Build Instead},
institution = {Island Security Policy Institute},
address = {Honolulu, HI},
number = {ISPI WP-01},
year = {2026},
url = {https://ispiglobal.com/papers-landing/wp01-island-state-security},
doi = {10.5281/zenodo.23450042}
}Related Research
WP-03 — Island Emergency Management Framework →WP-06 — Supply Chain Security →Why Island Security Is Different →Related analysis
AnalysisWhy Emergency Management Frameworks Fail Island Communities Worldwide →AnalysisWhat Is Island Emergency Management? Why Continental Frameworks Don't Apply →AnalysisHow to Conduct an Insular Vulnerability Audit: A Step-by-Step Guide for Island Organizations →PaperWP-02 — Insider Threat Assessment Framework for Island Organizations →GuidePacific Island Governance, Global Policy & AI: Research and FAQ →Pulley, Warren. "Island-State Security: Why Mainstream Frameworks Fail Pacific and Coastal Communities." Island Security Policy Institute, 2026. https://ispiglobal.com/papers-landing/wp01-island-state-security
