Lieutenant Commander Dustin R. Williams joined the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies as a Military Fellow in June 2017. His area of focus at DKI APCSS is strategic policy for maritime security, with an emphasis in freedom of navigation operations and regional security cooperation in the South China Sea, for the United States Coast Guard.
A native of Savannah, GA, he enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserves and attended basic training in Cape May, NJ in August 2000. He was later commissioned as an Ensign after graduation from Officer Candidate School in New London, CT in November 2003. His military education includes Naval Flight Training in Milton, FL and Naval Aviation Safety Officer course in Pensacola, FL. He is also a graduate of the following specialty courses: Army High Altitude Aviation Training, Coast Guard Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, Aviation Human Factors, Gas Turbine Investigation, National Transportation Security Board’s Advanced Mishap Analysis, Contingency Planning Basic Preparedness and Exercise, and Incident Command System 440 – Planning Section Chief.
Lt. Cmdr. Williams graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education. He holds a Master of Aeronautical Science degree with distinction in Aviation Education Technology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He recently completed a tour of duty at Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco, where he flew the MH-65D Dolphin helicopter as a Flight Examiner and served as the Assistant Operations Officer. As Assistant Operations Officer, he was responsible for the tactical and operational performance of a multi-mission air station charged with protecting 650 miles of coastline and operating six MH-65D helicopters, providing 24-hour launch capability at both San Francisco and Naval Base Ventura County. His previous assignments include Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, NJ and National Capitol Region Air Defense Facility in Washington, DC; Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, PR; Marine Safety Unit Savannah, GA; Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard in Alexandria, VA; and Marine Safety Office Mobile, AL.
His personal awards include three Coast Guard Commendation Medals; four Coast Guard Achievement Medals; the Army Achievement Medal; three Coast Guard Commandant Letters of Commendation; and is a Coast Guard Basic Training Honor Graduate.
- US-China Relations
- Dialogue #38 Frontlines of Economic Warfare
- DKI APCSS Upgrading Fencing for Security
- Sean Bode
- Dialogue | Special Episode on Global Strategic Trends 7
- Dialogue 37: The Indo-Pacific Mosaic
- Andrea Malji
- Michael Mayo
- Dr. Alexander Vuving’s New Publications on Vietnam’s Past and Present
- New Book Release: The Indo-Pacific Mosaic: Comprehensive Security Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific
- Mosaic Forward
- Gendered Security Analysis: A Critical Tool for Security
- Safeguarding Submarine Cables: Strategic Measures for India’s Security and Connectivity
- Pacific Island Microstates and U.S. Security Cooperation: A Strategic Reassessment
- Leadership for Positive Peace: Transforming Societies through Inclusion and Empathy
- Beyond the Tornado: Strengthening Societal Resilience Against Hybrid Warfare
- Sea Slavery: Implementing an Integrated Dissuasion Strategy
- Balancing Act: Shaping U.S. Policy in the Face of China’s Nuclear Expansion
- Beyond Centrality: ASEAN’s Path to Regional Leadership
- Healing the Past: U.S.-Lao Relations and Health Cooperation in Southeast Asia
- The Global Battle for Industrial Dominance: China, America, and Europe in the 21st Century
- New Zealand’s Pandemic Response: A Model for Climate Crisis Management
- Can Rivals Cooperate? Prospects for Sino-American Cooperation in the Environmental Security Domain
- Beyond Ambiguity: Operationalizing South Korea’s Indo-Pacific Strategy
- Strategic Smallness in South Asia: Leveraging Influence Among Giants
- India’s Rise in the Indo-Pacific: Strategic Autonomy in Action
- Navigating Spatial Politics: The Compacts of Free Association and Oceania’s Geopolitical Landscape
- Myanmar: The Strategic Blind Spot Undermining U.S. Interests in the Indo-Pacific
- Responding to Chinese Expansionism in the South China Sea
- Jihadist Terrorism in the Indo-Pacific: Resurgence and Resilience in the Post-Caliphate Era
- Law and Rising Seas: Navigating Ocean Change
- Shared Waters, Shared Futures: Cooperative Approaches to Water Security in the Indo-Pacific
- China’s Reusable Rocket Revolution: Implications for the United States and Artemis Allies
- Turbulence Ahead: Has China’s Ascent Reached its Peak?
- Vares-Lum Assumes Responsibility at DKI APCSS
- Globalization and the Evolving Landscape of Global Security
- Finding Security in the Indo-Pacific Mosaic
- Finding Security in the Indo-Pacific Mosaic
- Dialogue #35 Indo-Pacific Humanity and Geopolitics
- Suzanne Puanani Vares-Lum
- New article on Non-State Actors and Irregular Warfare by Sam Mullins
- Dialogue #36 Korea’s Martial Law Fallout
- TSC bring senior leaders together to explore opportunities for cooperation
- Russell Bailey
- Dr. Lori Forman
- Amb. Peter M. Haymond
- Lauren Dickey and DKI APCSS’ Col. Matthew Kent Call for a Reassessment of U.S. Policy on Taiwan in War on the Rocks
- Carleton R. Cramer
- Coups and Civil-Military relations in South Korea
- Dr. Deon K. Canyon
- Col. Matthew R. Kent