
No scheduled visitors today






Association
Countries Attending
Graduates
Alumni
Virtual Engagements
Virtual Participants
Years in Service
152
16,750*
15,840
133
7,759
30
positions
Vice President/Deputy PM
Minister/Deputy Minister
Ambassador/High Commissioner
Chief or Deputy Chief of Defense
Chief or Deputy Chief of Service
Cabinet or Parliament appointment
General/Flag Officer
11
122
276
56
114
210
1594










by Dr. Jimmie R. Lackey, who was then an Army colonel, and is a former DKI APCSS executive director. The Center was renamed on February 2015 to Honor the late Senator, Daniel K. Inouye.





Our Team
Our team is a dedicated group of professionals committed to enhancing regional security cooperation in the Asia-Pacific region. Comprised of military, diplomatic, and academic experts, the team works collaboratively to address contemporary security challenges. Through education, dialogue, and research, the DKI APCSS team fosters mutual understanding and strengthens partnerships among nations.

News
Forging Unbreakable Bonds: IPSEL SMEE 25-1 Cultivates Enlisted Leadership Across the Indo-Pacific
Beneath the welcoming skies of Honolulu, the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS), in close collaboration with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), hosted a pivotal gathering from April 20–26, 2025: IPSEL SMEE 25-1. This distinguished forum brought together 80 senior enlisted leaders and their mentors, representing 22 Indo-Pacific economies and global partners. The Indo-Pacific Senior Enlisted Leaders Subject Matter Expert Exchange (IPSEL SMEE) is a unique and vital platform where the bedrock of our armed forces—senior enlisted professionals—converge to strengthen regional trust, build shared understanding of complex security challenges, and advance strategic leadership capabilities across national boundaries. In an era defined by increasingly intricate regional dynamics, these leaders serve as both steadfast operational anchors and influential strategic communicators. IPSEL SMEE empowers them with the perspectives, tools, and enduring partnerships needed to lead effectively in today’s fast-changing security environment. Throughout the week, Fleet Master Chief David Isom, the USINDOPACOM Command Senior Enlisted Leader, provided consistent mentorship and guidance.
Security Nexus Perspective: U.S.–India Drone Collaboration as the Future of Deterrence
A Security Nexus perspective, “From Factory to Frontline: Why U.S.–India Drone Collaboration Could Shape the Next Era of Deterrence,” by Shyam Tekwani, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, argues that the future of deterrence in the Indo-Pacific will depend not on prestige platforms, but on scalable, attritable defense systems co-developed by the United States and India. The article highlights that traditional assets—such as aircraft carriers and stealth fighters—are becoming too slow, costly, and vulnerable to serve as the foundation of modern deterrence. Drawing lessons from the Ukraine conflict, Tekwani emphasizes the impact of unmanned aerial vehicles, electronic warfare units, and mass-manufactured, low-cost systems. These platforms create uncertainty for adversaries and can be deployed in high volumes, offering both presence and flexibility without escalating tensions.
Maluhia Talks 2025 Shine a Light on Regional Challenges
In April, the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) convened senior officials from the United States, key Indo-Pacific nations, and other allies and partners for the Maluhia Talks, which focus on Indo-Pacific challenges, priorities, and security opportunities. The event included 18 participants from 15 countries across the region and beyond.
Ernie Pyle: Remembering a true storyteller
“Ernie Pyle was never the loudest man in the room—but he spoke with a voice that carried across oceans, across battlefields, and across generations.” This was how the director of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, retired US Army Maj. General Suzanne P. Vares-Lum, described his legacy at the Ernie Pyle 80th Anniversary Memorial Ceremony. The event was attended military veterans, community leaders, journalism students, and former and current military and war correspondents at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu April 18, 2025.
Security Nexus Perspective Highlights Quiet Strategic Convergence Among India, Vietnam, and the Philippines
A Security Nexus perspective, “Cartographers of Quiet Power,” by Shyam Tekwani, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, explores how India, Vietnam, and the Philippines are quietly redefining regional cooperation in the Indo-Pacific—not through formal alliances but through pragmatic, flexible partnerships shaped by the realities of a multipolar wor
The stories posted here are only excerpts. Please go to our website to read the full articles.
apcss.org/latest-news










Dr. Deon K. Canyon









(Mission Partner)
(Executive Agent)
Maj. Gen (Ret.), U.S. Army
Suzanne Vares-Lum
Col. (Ret.), U.S. Army
Russell Bailey
Dr. Lori Forman
Col. Matthew R. Kent
& Business Ops
Capt. (Ret.) U.S. Navy
Wade Turvold

Amb. Peter M. Haymond


Security Studies (CSS)
Capt. (Ret.) U.S. Navy
Carleton Cramer
& Business Ops
Col. Jeffrey Digsby





shared understanding, and networked relationships among civilian and military practitioners and institutions to advance a free and open Indo-Pacific.






- Office of the Secretary
of Defense (Policy) - Joint Staff
- Service HQs
- Defense Security
Cooperation Agency - Regional Centers
- US Indo-Pacific Command
- Component Commands
- Other Subordinate Commands
- National Security Council
- Dept. of Homeland Security
- US Coast Guard
- Dept. of State
-Embassies
-U.S. Agency for
International Development
- Universities
- National Defense/
Diplomatic Academies - Research Centers
- Think Tanks
& National
Institutions
- Northeast Asia
- Southeast Asia
- South Asia
- Oceania
- The Americas
- And Beyond…
Institutions
& International
Organizations
- Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)
- South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
- Pacific Islands Forum (PIF)
- Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic
- Cooperation (BIMSTEC)
- United Nations, International Organizations, Non-Governmental Organizations


a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Regional Architectures
of China
Consequence
the Indo-Pacific, and globally,
is strengthened
traditional and nontraditional
security challenges
is increased
designed to be
routinely measured
and assessed
ADMM+
ASEAN Chair Preparation
Additional OSD IPSA Directed Activities
Security, Counterterrorism, Information Security,
Strategic Studies, Economics, & Crisis Management
Concentrations Regional & Functional Cohorts
Regional senior leader networks
Strategic Objectives
FY24-25 Priorities


Shared Understanding
Network Relationship