DKI APCSS Spotlight
On March 25th, 2025, the 29th U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Pete Hegseth visited DKI APCSS to make his first address to the Indo-Pacific, the region of consequence in the 21st century.
Dialogue | Episode 43: South Asia’s Strategic Forge
Unpacking South Asia’s strategic realignment: India’s choices, Pakistan’s pivots, and the rising defense ambitions across the region. This episode explores how the U.S. can engage smartly, foster industrial cooperation, and secure its interests amid intensifying great power competition.
Karakoa Forum Launched in Manila
MANILA, Philippines – The Department of National Defense (DND) and the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP) hosted a two-day Karakoa Forum in Manila on April 25 and 28, 2025, in partnership with the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS). A team of five DKI APCSS faculty members — Dr. Ginnie Watson, Professor Mike Burgoyne, Dr. Sam Mullins, Col. Matt Kent, and Maj. Kyle Brown — traveled to the Philippines at the invitation of the government to support the launch of the inaugural forum.
Regional Tensions Emerge as Bangladesh Moves Closer to Pakistan, Explored in new Security Nexus Paper
A new Security Nexus perspective by Dr. Srini Sitaraman (DKI APCSS) and Ms. Anuttama Banerji (National Maritime Foundation) examines the rapid political and strategic realignment in South Asia following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government in Bangladesh. Titled “India-Bangladesh Water Issues Reappear as Bangladesh-Pakistan Relations Rapidly Progress,” the paper explores the implications of renewed Pakistan-Bangladesh ties—including defense cooperation and trade—on India’s regional influence and water-sharing disputes.
Security Nexus Perspective Warns of Growing Risk in the Eastern Himalayas
Security Nexus perspective, “Where Maps Blur and Rivers Speak: China, India, and the Contest for the Eastern Himalayas,” by Shyam Tekwani, explores a rising flashpoint in South Asia where geopolitics, geography, and water security converge. As India suspends the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan, this piece shifts focus eastward to the tri-junction of India, China, and Bhutan—a region marked by contested borders, spiritual significance, and increasingly fragile stability. Tekwani highlights the strategic importance of Arunachal Pradesh, where infrastructure build-up, unresolved territorial claims, and water disputes heighten the risk of conflict without warning or reliable de-escalation mechanisms.
Security Nexus Perspective Analyzes the Role and Risks of AI in Peacekeeping Operations
A Security Nexus perspective, “Artificial Intelligence in Contemporary Peacekeeping Operations,” by Munkh-Orgil Tuvdendarjaa, explores how AI is reshaping UN peacekeeping through tools like predictive [...]
Security Nexus Perspective Highlights Cross-Border Impact of Myanmar Conflict on India’s Northeast
A Security Nexus perspective, “Terrorism and Water Wars: India-Pakistan on the Brink of a Major Conflagration,” by Ms. Anuttama Banerji and Dr. Srini Sitaraman, examines the mounting crisis between India and Pakistan following the April 2025 terrorist attack in Kashmir that claimed 26 lives. The authors argue that India’s decision to suspend participation in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)—a longstanding cornerstone of India-Pakistan conflict management—marks a dramatic and dangerous escalation with wide-ranging implications.
Security Nexus Perspective Explores Water, Terrorism, and Escalating Risk in South Asia
A Security Nexus perspective, “Terrorism and Water Wars: India-Pakistan on the Brink of a Major Conflagration,” by Ms. Anuttama Banerji and Dr. Srini Sitaraman, examines the mounting crisis between India and Pakistan following the April 2025 terrorist attack in Kashmir that claimed 26 lives. The authors argue that India’s decision to suspend participation in the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT)—a longstanding cornerstone of India-Pakistan conflict management—marks a dramatic and dangerous escalation with wide-ranging implications.
Security Nexus Perspective Explores How Unresolved Conflicts Undermine Stability in South Asia
In this Security Nexus Perspective by Shyam Tekwani, a professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, “Ghosts at the Border: Unfinished Conflicts in South Asia,” examines a region where the past persists. From the bloodied hills of Balochistan to the curfewed valleys of Kashmir, South Asia’s unfinished wars simmer beneath the surface, flaring up when least expected. Tekwani challenges official narratives of peace and progress to expose a harsher reality: silence is not stability, and development cannot erase memory. Across diasporas and front lines, rebellions once thought defeated are mutating, crossing borders, and complicating diplomacy. With a journalist’s insight and a sharp memory for unresolved truths, the essay warns that the ghosts of state violence do not vanish—they organize, vote, agitate, and, when ignored, return with force.
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
Security Nexus Perspective Calls for Stronger U.S.-India Defense Production Ties
A Security Nexus perspective, “Deterrence Needs a Factory: Fixing the U.S.–India Industrial Gap,” by Shyam Tekwani, professor at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, argues that while strategic alignment between the United States and India has advanced, their defense industrial cooperation remains underdeveloped. The essay highlights how both countries share mutual goals—resilient supply chains, forward deterrence, and defense innovation—yet continue to fall short on implementation. Tekwani urges both nations to shift from high-level dialogue to ground-level execution, including co-investment in manufacturing and defense technologies.
Yoon’s Foreign Policy Falls Short of “Global Pivotal State” Vision
In Foreign Policy, Dr. Lami Kim evaluates the foreign policy legacy of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol in her article, “Yoon’s Disappointing Foreign-Policy Legacy.” Yoon, who was impeached and removed from office by the Constitutional Court on April 4, had pledged to transform South Korea into a “global pivotal state.” While his Indo-Pacific strategy aligned closely with U.S. regional objectives, it lacked concrete measures to achieve its stated goals, such as maintaining stability in the Taiwan Strait and ensuring freedom of navigation. As Kim notes, “the strategy appeared more aspirational than strategic.”
Transforming perceived disorganization into strategic strength
In her recent article in The Diplomat, "Myanmar’s Decentralized Resistance Is Too Resilient and Flexible to Crush," Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd examines the unexpected durability of Myanmar's resistance movement against the military junta. Contrary to past uprisings in 1988 and 2007, which were swiftly suppressed, the current resistance has not only endured but has also forced the military into a defensive stance. By late 2023, coordinated offensives by ethnic armed organizations (EAOs) had significantly weakened the junta's strategic position, leading resistance forces to advance toward the capital, Naypyidaw, by 2024.
