HONOLULU –The Department of Defense has approved the selection of retired US Army Maj. Gen. Suzanne (Suzy) Puanani Vares-Lum as director of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS), a Department of Defense organization dedicated to advancing security cooperation in the region. Vares-Lum was born and raised in Hawaiʻi and is an alumna of the Center’s Transnational Security Cooperation course (TSC16-2). She is the first native Hawaiian and the first alumni to serve as the Center’s director. She comes to the Center after serving as President of the East-West Center since 2022. As a retired major general with 34 years of service, Vares-Lum has held key roles addressing priority national security challenges in the region. She brings a wealth of executive leadership experience, including five years serving with and advising the senior officials at US Indo-Pacific Command, where she cultivated and supported key relationships with nations throughout the Indo-Pacific region.

Honolulu – Russell Bailey has been selected as the new deputy director of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. A seasoned professional, Bailey has extensive executive-level service at the Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, the Joint Staff, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, and the National Security Council staff at the White House, as well as tours on two U.S. Embassy country teams (in Indonesia and Singapore). “I am humbled by the opportunity to join Rear Adm. (Ret.) Gumataotao and the DKI APCSS ohana as they continue to forge relationships across the Indo-Pacific, addressing the complex security [...]