Fiji, Nov. 5 -- The midterm elections in the United States could bring closer scrutiny of Washington's growing military footprint and push to secure seabed minerals across the Pacific.

This comes as island leaders warn that national security cannot come at the expense of local communities.

As of Thursday, Democrats had control of the U.S Senate with 237 seats to Republicans' 147, according to media reports. All 435 seats in the House of Representatives and 35 of the 100 seats in the Senate are contested to determine the 120th United States Congress.

The landslide 'blue wave' victory gives the Democrats a clear majority in the upper chamber. The final balance of power in the House of Representatives is also key to determining how much o...