Educate, Connect and Empower

His Excellency Russ Joseph Kun

The President of Republic of Nauru

Ambassador Margo Deiye, AMB of the Republic of Nauru to the U.S.
Ambassador Marie Damour, U.S. Ambassador to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Tonga, and Tuvalu
Honorable Pyon Deiye, Minister for Nauru Media
Honorable Rennier Gadabu, Minister for Environmental Management and Agriculture

Honorable Jesse Jeremiah, Deputy Minister for National Emergency Services
Mr. Sasikumar Paravanoor, CEO of Nauru Postal Services Corp
and Secretary to Cabinet of Nauru
Mr. Dominic Tabuna, Secretary for Foreign Affairs & Trade
CDR Victor Lange, SDO/DATT, U.S. Embassy Suva, Fiji

CSC 25-3

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

Admissions

Admissions
Dean of Business Operations

Dean of Business Operations
Executive Office Group

Executive Office Group
Human Resources

Human Resources
Library

Library
Regional Engagement Operations

Regional Engagement Operations
Resource Management

Resource Management
Dean of College

Dean of College
Faculty
Staff
Leadership

News

Security Nexus Perspective: Proximity, Perception, and Pushback in South Asia

Launched in 2014, India’s Neighborhood First policy sought to stabilize South Asia through proximity and engagement. In this Security Nexus Perspective, DK APCSS Professor Shyam Tekwani argues that recurring “India Out” protests are not ideological rejections of cooperation but reflexive responses to proximity itself, shaped by historical memory, asymmetry, and media amplification. Drawing on cases from Bangladesh, the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, the essay shows how India’s structural presence can generate unease that media narratives rapidly convert into external blame.

When Maps Begin to Move: How Symbols Fuel South Asia’s Territorial Tensions

Prof. Shyam Tekwani examines how detentions, rhetoric and cartography turn symbols into tools of territorial contestation across South Asia, escalating tensions without armed conflict.

Transnational Security Course 25-2 – Mutual Understanding is Critical

In early December, the final Transnational Security Course (TSC 25-2) of 2025 was held in Maluhia Hall on the campus of the Daniel K. Inouye Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) in Waikiki, attracting 40 senior security practitioners from 24 countries and reuniting eight alumni with the Center. The course was an intensive, six-day program for current sector leaders, both civilian and military, on the upward track for positions of significant national and international responsibility.

Strategic Voices Episode 1 – India’s Grand Vision: Can Strategy Match Ambition?

India’s strategic autonomy has long been a source of national pride and a flexible diplomatic instrument. In an earlier era, it allowed New Delhi to preserve freedom of action while engaging multiple power centers. Today, however, the same posture is being reinterpreted. In a more competitive and increasingly transactional global environment, partners are looking less for declarations of independence and more for dependable alignment in moments that matter.

Inaugural JPME2 Indo-Pacific Orientation Course Concludes, Cultivating New Regional Experts

The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) successfully hosted the first-ever JPME2 Indo-Pacific Orientation Course (JIPOC 25-1), a 13-week, specially designed executive education program that concluded in December 2025. This landmark effort, a collaboration between DKI APCSS, the National Defense University (NDU), and U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), enhanced the capabilities of U.S. security practitioners focused on the Indo-Pacific region.

The stories posted here are only excerpts. Please go to our website to read the full articles.
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