Category:Wake Island WWII

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Wake Island and the surrounding waters are part of the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument, which lies to the south and west of Hawaiʻi. The Monument is among the largest marine protected areas in the world and represents the most widespread collection of marine life that is under a single country's jurisdiction on the planet.

The monument consists of approximately 1,269,065 square kilometers (370,000 square nautical miles) of ocean surrounding seven islands and atolls in the central Pacific Ocean: Baker, Howland, and Jarvis Islands; Wake, Johnston, and Palmyra Atolls; and Kingman Reef.

Under the authority of the Antiquities Act of 1906, President George W. Bush established the Monument in January 2009 with Presidential Proclamation 8335. And, in September 2014, President Obama expanded the Monument through Proclamation 9173 to protect its abundant marine life, biologically diverse seamount habitats, and various resources of scientific or historic interest.

The Monument islands are cooperatively managed by the Secretary of Commerce (NOAA) and the Secretary of the Interior (U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service), with the exception of Johnston Atoll and Wake Island. Both of these islands are under administrative oversight by the Department of Defense, whereas U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Wildlife Refuge staff currently operate a field camp at Johnston to monitor and eradicate the accidentally introduced Yellow Crazy Ant that kills the migratory and resident seabirds there. Also, National Wildlife Refuges exist at each of the islands within the Monument accept Wake Island. Wake Island is managed by the Pacific Air Forces Regional Support Center, in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge.

The support center currently operates an active airfield on Wake Island proper that provides support of contingency operations, emergency and planned diverts, and other missions as necessary for Department of Defense operations in the Pacific and beyond. NOAA currently operates a weather observation station and tidal benchmark measuring system at the harbor to support regional forecasting and conducts regular coral reef ecosystem research in the area.

The unique geology, geochemistry, rare biological conditions, and pristine ecosystems provide an ideal location for interdisciplinary research. The mapping efforts undertaken via the Okeanos Explorer may result in the discovery of new seamounts and geologic features that give insight to the ocean floor features, as well as previously undiscovered underwater ships and planes from the Battle of Wake.