Samoa’s election at the end of August may be seen as an opportunity for foreign partners to deepen engagement and offer new avenues of support. With robust democratic institutions and strong cultural ties to its traditional partners, a sudden dramatic shift in Samoa’s security landscape is unlikely, but we can’t rule it out.
Samoa historically prefers a light touch to its security force activities and engagement, but the pull of greater economic opportunities with other partners, such as China, could pressure a new government to deepen their security relationships. For Australia, engagement should focus on building capacity and people-to-people links.
Samoa is home to around 219,000 people, most of whom live in coastal villages on its two main islands, Upolo and Savai’i. Since independence from New Zealand in 1962, the two countries have maintained strong ties, largely based on shared cultural ties. It also has friendly relations with American Samoa, sharing similar customs and extensive family links.
The Samoa Police Service is the main law enforcement agency and has more than 1,000 officers. Samoa has no military, so the police is the sole service responsible for law and order, border control and maritime surveillance. In 2023, Samoa received a Guardian-class patrol boat from Australia.
As Samoa prepares for the August election, political uncertainty could stir a shift in partnerships and engagement. After two motions of no confidence and growing internal division, the prime minister, Fiame Naomi Mata’afa, admitted defeat when her government failed to pass its budget in early June. This triggered an early election. Under Fiame, Samoa maintained a cautious approach towards the agreements it had signed, placing strong emphasis on identifying benefits for Samoa. As Samoa’s current five-year national development plan is set to end in 2026, Samoa may be prompted to review its national priorities and balance competing opportunities for greater security partnerships.
The diagram below gives an overview of Samoa’s key security partners and the types of support they provide to its security forces. The icons don’t reflect the full scale of assistance. For example, support could involve a single event with a specific outcome or a comprehensive, ongoing support package.
Australia provides extensive security support to all Pacific island countries through various mechanisms, including the Defence Cooperation Program and Pacific Maritime Security Program. In Samoa, Australia has committed to greater security cooperation including information sharing, humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) and strengthening cybersecurity under the 2023 Bilateral Partnership Agreement. Australia also has a subsidiary agreement outlining support for policing initiatives such as the Samoa-Australia Police Partnership, which included Australia’s commitment of over $6.5 million to national security upgrades in 2024. Samoa’s capital, Apia, is home to the Pacific Transnational Crime Coordination Centre, which will undergo renovations as part of Australia’s additional commitments.
China and Samoa signed a bilateral comprehensive strategic partnership agreement in 2022 that included some cooperation on security issues. China also established a fingerprint laboratory and police academy centre in Apia to support peacekeeping capacity training.
New Zealand provides ongoing support to Samoan police and law enforcement, maritime security and HADR through its Statement of Partnership. Their security engagement is underpinned by broader agreements that focus on environmental and economic cooperation.
The United States’ Nevada National Guard has a State Partnership Program with Samoa. Through this program, the US has supported Samoa’s cybersecurity and maritime security. The US has also delivered HADR supplies to Samoa through its regional initiatives. Japan and Britain have contributed maritime security support to the Samoa Police Service.
Under Fiame, Samoa was critical of Australia’s failure to commit to climate action, citing this commitment as a key factor in their relationship. Samoa has also emphasised the importance of regional consultation when it comes to agreements such as AUKUS, noting that this upholds the integrity of Pacific leaders and ensures Pacific control of a regional agenda.
China’s relationship with Samoa has also drawn public concern over potential Chinese militarisation of Samoan wharfs. Fiame rejected the Chinese Vaiusu Bay port project championed by the previous government, citing ‘serious reservations about that level of commitment’. Despite this, Fiame affirmed that ‘it will not hinder [Samoa’s] strong relationship with Beijing’, saying ‘the door remained open to Beijing and all aid partners for future projects of clear benefit to Samoa’. Other leading political parties have demonstrated their interest in further economic partnership with China but how far these deals could progress remains unclear.
Samoa acknowledges the US Coast Guard’s support in assisting maritime surveillance operations but requested the US maintain a light security footprint in Samoa, citing a desire to maintain stability and peace in the Pacific.
In light of potential new leadership, Samoa-Australian relations will likely continue to progress, but a deeper security agreement may not be a priority for either side. Similarly, Samoa is unlikely to seek a security agreement with China but can be expected to maintain friendly economic relations. Waning US interest in the region could drive Samoa to seek additional support from other partners, although the country wasn’t overly dependent on US support, anyway, and a new leader will likely prioritise domestic political stability in the short-term.
Australia should lean into its security engagement with Samoa more. It can benefit from increasing joint training and exercises while strengthening its people-to-people ties. By building deeper trust, it can lay the foundation now for a more comprehensive partnership in the future, should both parties be interested.
ASPI’s Friends to all: Competing for Pacific security partnerships series can be found here.