US says military presence at Penrhyn port is possible
The United States says a military presence at a planned port upgrade in the northern Cook Islands, located near a former US World War II airfield, is “all being negotiated”.
The US and New Zealand governments will jointly fund the NZ$101 million project on Penrhyn Island. The Americans will be contributing US$50m (approximately NZ$84m), while New Zealand will contribute NZ$17.5m (approximately US$10m).
Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, New Zealand Foreign Minister Winston Peters and US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau announced the project on the margins of the recent Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Palau earlier this month.
US Ambassador to the Cook Islands Jared Novelly told Cook Islands News earlier that the “friendly port” would help Pacific Island nations combat “bad actors”.
But in an exclusive interview with RNZ Pacific this week, Novelly said a future US military presence at Penrhyn remained under discussion.
The agreement between the three countries would upgrade a port in Omoka, near an airfield built by US troops in World War II.
Novelly said the port project itself “is not a [US] military base”.
“Ideally, it would be beneficial for us to [have a base], from a policing of illegal fishing and narco-terrorism,” he told RNZ Pacific.
“But this is not meant to be a US military base. The Coast Guard’s different. You know, the US Navy, if they happen to come through, is going to be supporting their mission in a not military way.
“We should we should look at this as an extreme maritime benefit to the Cook Islands and to the Pacific writ large.”
Penrhyn (also called Tongareva) is the northernmost island in the Cook Islands, and its port is at the village of Omoka.
Tayla Beddoes / Cook Islands Tourism
Local environmental groups have raised concern over the connection between this investment and the US administration’s interest in seabed minerals.
US officials have previously linked the project to the wider Critical Minerals Framework, but Novelly said the port upgrade had a range of benefits and should not be viewed primarily through the lense of critical minerals.
Novelly, who is also ambassador to Niue and Samoa, pointed out there were many local benefits to the port upgrade, but the main focus is strengthening maritime security, particularly tackling illegal fishing and drug trafficking across the Pacific.
“The Pacific is so vast and to be able to police it from bad actors requires certain assets, and those assets need to be able to resupply, and that’s something that a port can do in a way that maybe it’s lacking right now.”
He said the US Coast Guard, the New Zealand Defence Force, and other regional partners could potentially use the facility.
The US is also considering whether the US Coast Guard vessels could operate from the port, but Novelly noted that their larger cutters would be unlikely to fit.
Security deal
On the note of regional security, Novelly said the US is open to a security deal with the Cook Islands, if that was what it wanted.
He stated that although there have not been discussions yet, a broader deal could be on the table if requested.
“I have not had any discussions about that, but I’d like to think that anything’s on the table.”
Novelly described his friendship with Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown as “close” and said he would raise any requests from him with relevant US officials.
“I have, I believe, a close relationship with the prime minister, and a lot of people in government there.
“I think if that’s something that is of interest to them, then they only need to bring it up with me, and I’ll I’ll talk to the right people to try and see what I can do to help my friend there.”
Gift exchange marking the end of the Okeanos Explorer’s 26-day expedition in the Cook Islands.
RNZ Pacific / Tiana Haxton
In the meantime, the diplomat is looking forward to travelling to Penrhyn in the near future to get a lay of the land.
“The term that we use in real estate is either boots on the ground or being a dirt man. And I’m a dirt man. I need to be there and and see the soil and see where things are going to be and how it’s going to lay out.
“I can’t wait to get there to see it.”
Novelly said he is looking forward to meeting the people of Penrhyn, who he heard are happy to know their port will be upgraded.
