July 31, 2025, 10:32 am

Educate, Connect and Empower

Today’s Distinguished Visitors

Japan Journalists and Pacific Forum

Mr. Hidetoshi Arioka, Writer
Mr. Tomoki Sato, Staff Writer
Mr. Takuro Fujimoto, Political Reporter
Mr. Kiyotaka Nagashima, News reporter and Commentator
Mr. Ryota Shimabukuro, Chief Reporter
Ms. Kai Maeda, International Affairs Reporter
Mr. Beau Miller, PAO
Mr. Manuel Jeffrey Ordaniel Sistoso, Director Maritime Security
Mr. Akira Igata, Adjunct Fellow
Ms. Ayano Nishimura, Interpreter

Time: 3:00 p.m.

Location: CCR

Host: Dean Cramer

Japan Journalists and Pacific Forum

Mr. Hidetoshi Arioka, Writer
Mr. Tomoki Sato, Staff Writer
Mr. Takuro Fujimoto, Political Reporter
Mr. Kiyotaka Nagashima, News reporter and Commentator
Mr. Ryota Shimabukuro, Chief Reporter
Ms. Kai Maeda, International Affairs Reporter
Mr. Beau Miller, PAO
Mr. Manuel Jeffrey Ordaniel Sistoso, Director Maritime Security
Mr. Akira Igata, Adjunct Fellow
Ms. Ayano Nishimura, Interpreter

Time: 3:00 p.m.
Location: CCR
Host: Dean Cramer

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In Their Own Words: Fellows describe their DKI APCSS experience

We are a Department of Defense institution that provides a forum where current and future military and civilian leaders from the Indo-Asia-Pacific gather to address regional and global security issues and enhance security cooperation through programs of executive education, professional exchange, and building relationships of trust and confidence.

About Us

Vision

A free and prosperous Indo-Pacific promoting collaborative security.

Mission

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

Approach

In support of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs (IPSA), and the Director, Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), and as a Mission Partner of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), DKI APCSS will cultivate and maintain security networks that reinforce the rules-based international order.

Value Proposition

DKI APCSS is recognized and respected for delivering practical outcomes that enhance security sector capacity and cooperation.

Alumni
Association

Courses Held
Countries Attending
Graduates
Alumni
Virtual Engagements
Virtual Participants
Years in Service

216
152
16,750*
15,840
133
7,759
30

FACTS

Alumni Senior
positions

President/PM
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

7
11
122
276
56
114
210
1594

2,305

Participants

11,500

Workshops

313

Courses

On Sept. 30, 1994 President Clinton signed H.R. 4650 to establish the “Nimitz Center.” During the year, name is changed to the “Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies.” The Center officially opened on Sept. 4, 1995, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony attended by the Honorable William J. Perry, then-Secretary of Defense and General John M. Shalikashvili, then Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff.

August 2020

Defense Secretary Esper the Keynote speaker at DKI APCSS’ 3rd Speaker Series and 25th Anniversary Commemoration

Our History

The Hawaii Congressional Delegation announces the redesignation of APCSS as the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS). The change is included in the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act. Learn more

September 1994-1995

February 2015

The Lamp of Knowledge represents the academic focus of the Center and signifies the desire to foster understanding, cooperation and the study of regional security issues.

The laurel branches form a Wreath of Peace that emphasize the Center’s non-warfighting approach to addressing regional security issues.

The visible portion of the world globe depicts the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command’s area of responsibility.

Seal

The continuous ribbon symbolizes the strong interrelationship among the six geographic regions of the Asia-Pacific theater.

The Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies seal was conceptualized
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

Mr. Krishna Bahadur Raut Receives the 2021 ‘Alumni of the Year’ award

DKI APCSS recognized Raut’s contributions as an alumnus who significantly improved the peace and security within his country of Nepal and in the Indo-Pacific Region. Raut’s Fellows Project resulted in seven new provincial emergency operation centers. He drafted eight of the fifteen laws required to support the expansion of the EOCs. He also played an instrumental role in passing significant policies that included the Disaster Management Act, Risk Reduction Policy, and the National Strategic Action Plan.

Alumni Spotlight

International Fellows from the U.S. Army War College Visit the Center

On April 1, 2022, DKI APCSS hosted 40 international officers from the U.S Army War College’s International Fellows Program. Ranging from lieutenant colonel to brigadier general, the Fellows were hand-selected from the Chief of Staff of the Army to participate in a 10-month, in-resident course at the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania.For the last seven months, the Fellows have studied the role of land power, as part of a unified, joint or combined force, in support of the U.S. national military strategy. Their visit to Hawaii provided an opportunity to familiarize themselves with the various Indo-Pacific organizations who are available to partner with their militaries and countries. In addition to DKI APCSS, the Fellows visited the Indo-Pacific Command, the U.S. Army Pacific Command, and the Center for Excellence in Disaster Management.

Alumni Spotlight

News

Future Security Leaders Convene in Ottawa to Confront China’s Hybrid Warfare

OTTAWA, Canada — The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, in partnership with the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Global Affairs Canada, the Canadian Department of National Defence, the Centre for International Governance Innovation, and the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies, hosted a workshop on China’s hybrid warfare strategies July 7–11. Held in Ottawa, the five-day event convened emerging leaders from the Indo-Pacific, the Americas, and Europe to explore economic coercion, cyber threats and strategic risks to the defense industrial base. Participants engaged in scenario planning, strategic analysis and peer-to-peer exchanges to better understand the multilayered and multidomain tactics employed by China.

Dialogue | Episode 47: China’s Military Bet on the Future A Dialogue with Elsa B. Kania

In today’s contested Indo-Pacific, China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) is no longer simply modernizing—it is transforming. Guided by artificial intelligence, automation, and top-down political control, the PLA’s strategic shift toward “intelligentization” reflects Beijing’s bold ambition to field a “world-class military” by 2049. In Episode 47 of Dialogue, I sat down with Elsa B. Kania—respected expert on China’s military innovation—to examine how this transformation may shape the future of war.

DKI APCSS Director Suzy Vares-Lum’s Visit to Australia Highlights Strengthening Defense and Education Ties

DKI APCSS Director Suzy Vares-Lum recently visited Australia to advance collaboration in defense, education, and regional security. Her visit focused on strengthening academic partnerships and building the Center’s expanding alumni network in Australia. Vares-Lum met with representatives from several academic institutions, think tanks, and government agencies, creating opportunities to deepen ties between the U.S. and Australia.

Dialogue | Episode 46: Taiwan: Democracy and Deterrence A Dialogue with Howard Shen

Taiwan is navigating the dual pressures of domestic democratic contestation and rising external threats across the Strait. In this episode, Howard Shen explores Taiwan’s political dynamics, evolving defense posture, and how identity and deterrence intersect in shaping its strategic future.

New Strategic Doctrine Reimagines Influence in the Era of Gray-Zone Competition

As strategic competition intensifies in the Indo-Pacific, traditional models of hard and soft power are proving insufficient. Canyon’s doctrine of Adaptive Power offers an updated framework based on five interdependent pillars: Timing, Context, Legitimacy, Modularity, and Learning. The article is grounded in extensive Indo-Pacific field research and strategic wargaming. It aligns with Department of Defense priorities such as campaigning in competition, strengthening partner resilience, and countering sharp power tactics used by authoritarian actors.

The stories posted here are only excerpts. Please go to our website to read the full articles.
apcss.org/latest-news