Transcript
On Saturday, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo pledged nearly $US300 million in security funding for the Indo-Pacific region.
This was on top of $US113 million in various initiatives for the region the week before.
Both announcements promised to develop a "free and open Indo-Pacific" at the same time China expands its engagement with the region.
But there was little to be said of where the Pacific fits into an expanse stretching from the east coast of Africa to the west coast of America.
Former Pentagon official Van Jackson from Victoria University says only trivial amounts will reach the Pacific Islands, once the funding is broken down.
"You'll see a country like Vanuatu get at most five or ten million dollars in security assistance. What is that going to do? That might be well-intentioned but how much of a difference is that really going to make?"
It's also not a lot of money overall, compared with the billions of dollars China is pushing out through its One Belt One Road infrastructure initiative in the Asia-Pacific.
The funding pales even compared to the $US500 million "Pacific Reset" of New Zealand, and almost $US1 billion set aside for the Pacific in Australia's 2018 budget.
"To put it in Trump's New York real estate terms, you can't buy a really great building in New York for $113 million. It's only a third of what his Trump Tower is actually worth."
Sarah Graham is a researcher at Sydney University's United States Studies Centre.
She says the Indo-Pacific region is too big and removed from the US, making it hard to politically gain domestic support needed for more funding.
Dr Jackson says this is why the funding is being presented as a security stop-gap.
"In the current political environment in the US, you're not going to get money to assist foreign governments unless it's in the military space. They're not in the nation-building business."
This is despite Washington's close ties with the Pacific through the territories of American Samoa, Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands.
It also holds Compact of Free Association agreements with Palau, the Marshall Islands and the Federated States.
But these relations are being competed with, if not strained, as China opens its own engagement with several countries in Washington's Pacific circle.
Others are embracing a more independent outlook, building strong local tourist industries and adopting renewable energy.
Observers like Dr Graham say America is running out of time if it wants to step up its presence in the Pacific.
"A lot of states in the region, particularly South East Asia, particularly small states, will be looking to see whether that engagement is sustained as well. Is this another example of nice talk and big talk from the United States without substantial follow through?"
There's no timeline for the funding roll-out yet, and Dr Graham says the US could still withdraw it if it becomes politically problematic.
