From Strategic Denial to Strategic Reclamation: “mothballed” Micronesia

Kuper, Kenneth Gofigan (2024). "From Strategic Denial to Strategic Reclamation: "mothballed" Micronesia". Security in Context Report. Washington, DC: Security in Context: 1–16.

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Abstract: Research article tracing the evolution of U.S. military strategy in Micronesia from Cold War-era “strategic denial” to contemporary “strategic reclamation.” The analysis shows how previously unused or “mothballed” facilities across Micronesia—including Tinian, Palau, and Yap—are being reactivated under distributed and dispersed operational concepts such as Agile Combat Employment. It situates these developments within U.S.-China competition and highlights how the Compacts of Free Association enable U.S. access while limiting host-state control. The article argues that dispersal of military assets entails dispersal of risk, increasing the likelihood that Micronesian territories become targets in conflict, and frames the region as a “violent geography” shaped by both strategic necessity and geopolitical vulnerability.