Claims are widespread that the United States lacks the bandwidth to defend its Asia‑Pacific allies and interests because of the Iran War. That debate typically centers on America’s ability to deter or defeat Chinese aggression — but it is not just foreign capitals or nervous allies asking the question. US citizens living in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are asking it too.
Super Typhoon Sinlaku ripped through Saipan, Tinian and Rota last week, leaving broad destruction in its wake. FEMA is leading the civilian emergency response, and one hopes USINDOPACOM in Honolulu is engaged and proactive. The military has a direct stake: the US plans to expand training and logistics use of the CNMI and is rehabilitating World War II airfields on Tinian as part of the Air Force’s agile combat employment posture for a potential conflict in the region. The damage from Sinlaku looks much like the sort of degradation you might expect in wartime, for example if the PLA struck wider regional infrastructure during a campaign against Taiwan.
That makes the recovery effort urgent. It cannot be allowed to drag out on a leisurely timetable. Local sentiment in the islands already includes a deep-running belief that Washington treats the CNMI as an afterthought, and that perception is actively amplified by anti‑US, anti‑military groups on the islands. Beijing has long run a political‑warfare campaign in the CNMI centered on a simple message: “The Americans don’t care about you; the PRC does, and we’ll bring prosperity.” That message has been effective in part because plenty of Chinese money has flowed into Saipan’s political and business circles.
The Imperial Pacific casino operation, which rose and collapsed beginning around 2015, is an obvious example of how that money bought influence. Even after the casino’s troubles and asset changes, CNMI’s business lobby continues to push Chinese tourism and investment as the chief remedy for chronic local economic problems. The commonwealth remains the only US place where Chinese citizens could arrive without a visa, a policy that has attracted Congressional scrutiny for reasons that include concerns about so‑called birth tourism.
When FEMA and other US agencies deploy recovery funds, Washington must insist on strict oversight. Local voices who lost everything in Sinlaku warn that federal assistance should be carefully monitored. Those warnings are rooted in painful recent history. When Governor Arnold Palacios took office in 2023 he discovered over $1 billion in COVID relief and other US funds that lacked proper auditing. Details were alarming: inflated or unvetted charges, including sanitation services billed at thousands of dollars an hour. Questions remain about what happened to some funds and equipment after Super Typhoon Yutu in 2018. Palacios repeatedly asked federal authorities to send investigators and auditors to determine the facts and pursue prosecutions; those requests went largely unanswered.
Complicating matters, some officials with regional responsibilities have problematic ties to the local politics they are meant to oversee. The Department of the Interior official responsible for CNMI affairs was formerly chief of staff to a governor whose administration presided over those questionable expenditures. That official has also faced allegations of receiving campaign support from casino interests. The former governor in question is campaigning again and has been publicly photographed in front of supply planes, implying leadership over relief deliveries — an optics problem when trust and accountability are already in short supply.
Given this backdrop, federal recovery funding and supplies should come with rigorous transparency: independent inspectors general, federal comptrollers and on‑the‑ground auditors to ensure money and materials reach the people who need them. Doing so will not only help the vulnerable; it will blunt the PRC’s narrative that Washington ignores its own citizens in the Pacific.
There is also an opening for US partners. Japan, for example, should offer tangible assistance. Tokyo is a short flight from Saipan and the Japan Self‑Defense Forces have deep expertise in disaster relief. A focused Japanese contribution would be practical aid and a powerful symbol — reminiscent of American help to Japan after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. Such cooperation would play well politically in both Washington and Tokyo and reinforce allied ties when demonstrations of mutual support matter.
When times are hard, friendships are tested. The people of the CNMI are fellow Americans in crisis. The federal government and US military should marshal a visible, speedy, and well‑oversighted response to show that America cares for its people and can operate effectively in the western Pacific. A firm, transparent recovery effort will counter Beijing’s political influence and send a clear signal to regional audiences — including those watching for clues about US resolve on Taiwan — that Washington remains capable and committed. If we cannot get this right, the PRC’s case that American power is waning will only grow stronger.
Colonel Grant Newsham (US Marines – Ret.) is the author of When China Attacks: A Warning to America.
