Backdoor deal? Yap-US military agreement criticized as a sellout
- Admin
- Aug 8
- 3 min read
Daughter of the late Gov.Charles Chieng demands transparency
By Mar-Vic Cagurangan
The U.S. military and the Yap leadership are forging ahead with infrastructure projects proposed for the island state based on a revised agreement that was signed behind closed doors, according to the daughter of the late Gov. Charles Chieng.
“These discussions have not been transparent, and there has been no proper public consultation with the people of Yap, particularly landowners and common citizens,” Jennifer Chieng said in a letter to Micronesian President Wesley Simina.
Chieng wrote to the president as a "concerned citizen," seeking transparency
and clarification on the “operational control letter” that was signed and executed on March 25, superseding the version signed by her father on March 4.
The letter authorizes the Yap government and the U.S. Department of Defense “to work together" on the implementation of military projects.
However, Jennifer Chieng challenged the process by which the revised agreement was reached. It was signed on March 25 while Gov. Chieng was on medical leave. He passed away on May 29.
“In short, the revised (operational control letter) signed on March 25, 2025, came into existence and, most alarmingly, without the sitting governor of Yap state having any knowledge of its existence, let alone being made
aware of important major changes that were made,” Jennifer Chieng wrote.
Noting that her father's untimely passing left Yap in a vulnerable position, Jennifer Chieng pointed out that the revised agreement strayed from the priorities and concerns listed in the March 4 version.
The late governor sought to prioritize issues related to the health and safety of Yap residents, the projects' social and environmental impacts, military land use and reasonable compensation to private landowners.
“I understand that senior military leaders and the U.S. ambassador have met on several occasions with Yap state leadership, and the revised agreement rejecting the highlighted key priorities was signed by acting Gov. Francis Itimai that the late Gov. Charles Chieng did not want to sign without ensuring measures are in place to protect Yap state and its inhabitants,” Jennifer Chieng stated in her letter to the president.
She alleged that the revised letter was signed “without full transparency.”
The U.S. Air Force is investing $400 million in Yap for the airport upgrade project. Earlier this year, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the Pentagon’s plan to pour as much as $2 billion into the FSM and build more projects to enable U.S. forces to operate in the Pacific island nation.
“It is deeply concerning that the revised (operation control letter) overwhelmingly appears to provide the U.S. Department of Defense access
to land controlled by Yap State for military construction projects while simultaneously rejecting these highlighted key priorities; measures put in place to safeguard and protect the state of Yap and its inhabitants,” she wrote.
U.S. military aircraft will become a common sight in Yap, where the Department of Defense plans to conduct two military exercises per year, each running for two weeks.
The impending U.S. military’s forward presence in Yap pulls the Federated States of Micronesia further into the Pentagon’s forward posturing in the Indo-Pacific.
“I intentionally describe these proposed military infrastructure projects as high risk because, with the development of these military projects, there is no guarantee that Yap island and the outer islands of Yap will not become a target of attack if a war were to occur,” Jennifer Chieng said.
The FSM has diplomatic ties with China, but the Compact of Free Association grants the U.S. exclusive rights to use the FSM land, water and airspace for military purposes.
“The people of Yap are being asked, through their provision of land and water resources, to assume high risk in becoming a known back-up military airfield and seaport,” Jennifer Chieng said.
Reinforcing Yap's airport capacity aligns with the U.S. Air Force's "agile combat employment" strategy to boost the air forces' combat power and survivability by operating from dispersed, temporary locations, rather than relying solely on main operating bases. Currently, Guam and Hawaii are the main launch pads for the Pacific Air Forces.
The office of the Yap governor and the Office of the FSM have not returned the Pacific Island Times' request for comment as of this writing.
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