Indo-Pacific Task Force

There are three U.S. territories in the Pacific: American Samoa, Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. In addition, the U.S. has international agreements or Compacts of Free Association with three Pacific Island countries: the Republic of Palau, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Federated States of Micronesia, collectively referred to as the Freely Associated States (FAS).

The U.S. has vital security and economic interests throughout the Indo-Pacific region, particularly amid rising competition with the People's Republic of China. The importance of the FAS cannot be overstated, given the proximity to the U.S. homeland areas and the broader geopolitical context.

While the U.S. has historically enjoyed good relations and ties in the Indo-Pacific region, the People's Republic of China (PRC) has increasingly sought to reshape regional political, economic and strategic alignments.

This has especially been the case with the U.S. Pacific territories and the FAS. The PRC has sought to take advantage of the relatively weak economies of island nations. Through offerings of economic aid and infrastructure development, the PRC has leveraged its resources to shape political outcomes and perceptions of the U.S. in the region while waging political warfare to gain undue influence and/or destabilize island nations.

The Indo-Pacific Task Force (IPTF) discussed and advanced solutions to counter the PRC’s influence and to maintain America’s capacity to secure its interests in order to remain engaged with the FAS region and respond to coercive activity by the PRC in the Pacific.

Chairman Westerman introduced the Compact of Free Association Amendments Act following the work of the bipartisan task force. The task force held numerous hearings, and Westerman led a historic bipartisan congressional delegation (CODEL) to the Indo-Pacific in August 2023. The legislation approves and incorporates by reference agreements signed between the U.S. and the three FAS for the new Compact of Free Association period, from Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 through FY 2043. The legislation was signed into law in March 2024 as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024.

Members of the Indo-Pacific Task Force

Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-Ark.)
Ranking Member Raúl M. Grijalva (R-Ariz.)
Co-Chair Amata Radewagen (R-American Samoa)
Gregorio Kilili Camacho Sablan (D-CNMI)
Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.)
Ed Case (D-Hawaii)
Harriet Hageman (R-Wyo.)
Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-N.M.)
Doug Lamborn (R-Colo.)
Jim Moylan (R-Guam)
Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.)
Katie Porter (D-Calif.)
Tom Tiffany (R-Wis.)
Rob Wittman (R-Va.)