9 April 2015: The US Department of the Navy has announced the completion of the Regional Biosecurity Plan (RBP) for the Federated States of Micronesia and Hawaii, which is the first plan of its kind.

The Plan provides: a platform for interagency prevention, management and control of invasive species, such as the brown tree snake; and detailed science-based biosecurity recommendations for Hawaii, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau, and the US Departments of Defense, Agriculture and the Interior.

Donald Schregardus, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Environment, highlighted that the RBP is a “significant accomplishment in our fight against invasive species.” 
The RBP came about due to the “real, ongoing and increasing problem” that the transfer of invasive species poses to the Pacific region. The Plan aims to cover a broad range of habitats and taxonomic groups, such as terrestrial, freshwater and marine systems, and multiple countries and cultures, in a way that has not been done before.

The US Navy and Marine Corps are funding the Plan, which was developed by the University of Guam and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC), in conjunction with a number of governments, individuals and organizations. [Regional Biosecurity Plan for Micronesia and Hawaii] [US Navy Press Release]