DKI APCSS Marks 30 Years With Alumni Workshop

Cmdr. Liam Connel

Dr. Bill Wieninger

DKI APCSS Director Suzanne P. Vares-Lum

HONOLULU — Staying connected to alumni is a key line of effort at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. The Center hosted 47 alumni from 22 locations worldwide for a four-day 30th Anniversary Alumni Workshop, held Sept. 16–19, 2025, to strengthen professional networks and explore future security challenges.

Participants included 15 flag and general officers, as well as ambassadors, who joined U.S. Embassy representatives to discuss DKI APCSS programs, recruitment, and ways to maintain connections across the alumni community.

“Workshop participants identified concrete actions to enhance the DKI APCSS educational model and to strengthen alumni networks both in the region and with U.S. Indo-Pacific Command and the broader U.S. government,” said Cmdr. Liam Connel, workshop co-lead. “They then identified key security issues we will face in the coming four years and how an enhanced alumni network can help address them.”

Dr. Bill Wieninger, also a workshop co-lead, emphasized the value of the center’s convening power.

“DKI APCSS is a unique force multiplier for the Department of Defense and the U.S. government, with its ability to bring together senior alumni from across the Indo-Pacific security community to discuss common challenges and develop solutions,” he said. “This workshop validated that convening power, with the high rank of its senior attendees, and highlighted the strength of the network through their commitment to mentor alumni and build partner-nation capacity.”

As DKI APCSS incorporates feedback from the workshop to improve its programs, Commodore Higino Das Neves of Timor-Leste’s navy underscored the center’s role in developing future leaders.

“This is an outstanding place to prepare young leaders to understand situations around the world and how to work together to address them,” he said.

“As we mark the 30th anniversary of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, we were honored to convene distinguished alumni from across the Indo-Pacific,” said DKI APCSS Director Suzanne P. Vares-Lum. “One theme echoed throughout their reflections: DKI APCSS was instrumental in equipping leaders to confront complex national challenges. Perhaps even more enduring, the center helped forge lasting networks of trusted security practitioners who continue to collaborate across borders to build a more resilient, peaceful region.”