In June more than 40 participants from 19 countries took part in the lively third iteration of the Whole of Society Resilience Workshop, where the subject matter was, at times, as fervid as the summer temperatures outside. Held in the climate-controlled confines of Maluhia Hall, and conducted by the staff and faculty of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, this event brought back several participants and welcomed many more as this course narrowed the scope of the series from concepts to concrete actions.
Professor Sam Mullins, the faculty lead for the workshop
“The first couple of workshops we started out pretty broadly, looking at a range of different types of threats, different areas of resilience,” said Professor Sam Mullins, the faculty lead for the workshop. “But in this third workshop, we really focused in much more narrowly on civil preparedness — how you build the capacity of your civilian population to play a role in building resilience to hybrid threats and malign influence.”
The workshop curriculum ranged from panel discussions and tabletop exercises to guest speakers from both the Hawaii National Guard and INDOPACOM, who were subject matter experts, allowing participants to take a deep dive into serious and weighty topics of deterrence.
“There was certainly some discussion of non-state actors — terrorism, insurgency, that kind of thing,” Mullins said. “But primarily, it’s about building resilience to the activities associated with malign states. That’s everything from political interference to economic coercion and all the way up to hybrid warfare scenarios.”
Embodying the literal meaning of its name, the program’s audience was made up of senior government officials — both military and civilian — private sector companies including telecommunications and cybersecurity, and a spectrum of nongovernmental organizations, academic institutions and population support groups. This diversity allowed for many perspectives and a variety of angles to each area of discussion. Having representatives from different regions of the world also provided an opportunity to share lessons learned in combating threats that recognize no borders.
Lia Svilans, director of planning and strategy in the Defense and National Security Policy Division of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Lia Svilans, director of planning and strategy in the Defense and National Security Policy Division of the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), traveled to Hawaii to gain deeper understanding and a broader perspective from the highly qualified experts at the workshop.
“The work that I do is a pretty new area for DFAT. We are looking at how we can contribute to national preparedness and integrate with whole-of-government approaches,” she said while on break between a panel on public engagement and psychological resilience, and another on education, training, and capacity building.
“In terms of broader challenges, particularly regional conflict or crisis that envelop many countries, we haven’t thought about the scale of something like that in the way that we need to,” she said. “It has been a welcomed surprise that the course is really focused on the interaction between participants — making sure that people have the time to talk to each other and learn from each other.”
As the workshop concluded, Mullins helped bestow the DKI APCSS golden lanyard to all those who attended, signifying their earned status as Fellows and joining an alumni network that has grown to more than 16,000 worldwide.
“The golden lanyard is almost like a key that will get you in the door most anywhere around the world when you meet someone else who is part of that network. That becomes this tremendous resource that people can tap into,” Mullins said after shaking many hands, posing for countless pictures and seeing the alumni off.
“Seeing the interactions and connections that form between people is incredible. What we are doing as a center is bringing together people who can make a difference. It’s really about what comes next. It’s about the outcomes.”
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