Note: Due to APCSS’ non-attribution policy, participant names are not be used in this story.
A workshop to deepen the India-US strategic relationship was held at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies June 20-24.
“Perspectives on the India-U.S. Strategic Interface: Towards an Improved Understanding of Aspirations, Goals, and Futures” examined, through bi-lateral dialogs, the efficacy of the contemporary strategic relationship and examined India-U.S. thinking on optimizing it. Anticipated to be the first in a series of APCSS-sponsored conversations between participants on the India-U.S. strategic partnership, the workshop was a useful step in identifying areas of convergence in the relationship, as well as divergences that could potentially retard advancing the partnership. The aim was to enable a series of conversations that could facilitate a framework for further focused security cooperation.
“I learned a lot – something not always true at these things, attesting to the quality of the conversation and the participants – and enjoyed the APCSS model of plenaries with breakout groups and intense, focused discussion in a relaxed setting,” said a conference participant.
The workshop was designed to address the traditional and non-traditional security issues of political, social and economic dimensions, through a candid exchange of perspectives examined three key areas of intersection over the next 10-20 years: 1) Technology Sharing, 2) Geo-political Dynamics Impacting the India-U.S. Relationship, 3) Current & future security challenges in the Indian Ocean. The workshop brought together 10 participants each from India and the United States comprising policy influencers, researchers and academics, media representatives, and security practitioners, widely acknowledged as knowledgeable and with a recognized track record working U.S.-India security cooperation.
“I think it was really conducted in an amazing manner,” said another conference participant. “And the output will prove to be a benchmark in the Indo-US relations. The thresholds that APCSS has set will definitely be difficult to emulate by any other think tank.”
About APCSS
The Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) is a U.S. Department of Defense academic institute that officially opened Sept. 4, 1995, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The APCSS addresses regional and global security issues, inviting military and civilian representatives of the United States and Asia-Pacific nations to its comprehensive program of executive education and conferences, both in Hawaii and throughout the Asia-Pacific region.
The Center supports the U.S. Pacific Command’s objective of developing professional and personal ties among national security establishments throughout the region. With a non-warfighting mission, the Center focuses on a multilateral and multi-dimensional approach to defining and addressing regional security issues and concerns. The most beneficial result is building relationships of trust and confidence among future leaders and decision-makers within the region.
APCSS provides a focal point where national officials, decision makers and policy makers can gather to exchange ideas, explore pressing issues and achieve a greater understanding of the challenges that shape the security environment of the Asia-Pacific region. As well, the Center gives attention to the increasingly complex interrelationships of military, economic, political and diplomatic policies relevant to regional security issues through its three academic components: executive education, conferences and research and publications efforts.
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