The US House of Representatives has approved a request from American Samoa's congressman Faleomavaega Eni Hunkin for a feasibility study into the establishment of a National Guard unit in the territory.
Faleomavaega says a National Guard unit would be a first responder in cases of disaster and local emergencies.
He says this issue is very important and this is why he has pushed for it since 2004.
Faleomavaega says with American Samoa sitting in the middle of the Pacific it has strategic importance for U.S. military interests in the region.
