Joseph Yun: “The Compacts are at the core of the U.S. commitment to advancing a Pacific that is free and open.”

Key words from the administration now seem to be 'process' and 'progress,' a big change from the 'all in one' or 'big bang' denuclearization.

We respect Vietnam's independence and sovereignty, and we believe that allowing all of Vietnamese people to have a voice in determining their future is critical to achieving their full potential.

I think the agreements are a very important declaration of good faith.

I am grateful for the bipartisan approach of this subcommittee regarding the Compacts of Free Association (COFA) with the Freely Associated States (FAS).