Chuuk, Federated States of Micronesia. (October 10, 2023): It appears the Marines are looking for a few good men an extraordinarily long way from American shores. In this photo by Corporal Trent A. Henry, U.S. Marine Corps Lance Corporal Megan Roundpoint, a motor transport operator with Task Force Koa Moana 23, speaks to Chuuk High School students during a recruiting event.

A former American territory, Micronesia is an Indo-Pacific nation made up of six hundred islands and islets that signed a compact in 1985 with the United States to provide financial assistance and to defend Micronesia’s territorial integrity. In return, the island nation provides the U.S. with unlimited and exclusive access to its land and waterways for strategic purposes. The U.S. has recently expanded its support for Micronesia – and the nearby Marshall Islands and Palau‌ – in part because of Chinese efforts to build influence in the Indo-Pacific.

For citizens of Micronesia, this agreement opened multiple avenues to American citizenship including serving in the military. Most immigrants who serve with the U.S. military must first secure a legal permanent resident card, but Micronesians can serve without that requirement because the country is considered a trusted territory. That means its residents can work in the U.S. indefinitely without becoming legal permanent residents.

Hundreds of immigrants enlist in U.S. service branches each year. Last year, 34 Micronesians signed contracts with the Marine Corps. The Marine Corps even dedicates a Marine recruiting team to work the islands of Micronesia on a continuing basis.