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DKI APCSS Monthly Newsletter
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February 2026
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Readiness
 IPOC 26-1: Defending the Homeland
IPOC 26-1 made history with DKI APCSS's first-ever Emergency Management cohort, uniting Hawaiʻi's local heroes with military and civilian leaders on homeland defense. Participants engaged with senior commanders, gaining what one described as an "eye-opening" experience with a "greater appreciation of the global perspective."
Read more
Allies and Partners
 Into the Region: Director Travels to Nepal and India
Director Suzanne Vares-Lum accompanied USINDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on engagements in Kathmandu, Nepal and New Delhi, Chandigarh, and Bangalore in India, meeting with senior leaders and U.S. Embassy partners to deepen dialogue on shared security priorities.
Nepal read more | India read more
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 Faculty Visit to the Philippines
A DKI APCSS team led by Dr. Lori Forman reconnected with Filipino alumni and engaged with Admiral Ronnie Gil Gavan, Commandant of the Philippines Coast Guard, to discuss an upcoming cohort attending CSC 26-2 and opportunities to strengthen bilateral collaboration.
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 Director Featured on MACRO's Bridging the Gap Podcast
Director Vares-Lum joined retired Brig. Gen. Moses Kaoiwi on the MACRO podcast to discuss her career, her Hawaiʻi roots, and DKI APCSS's mission of building peace through strength in the Indo-Pacific.
Watch here
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 Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA Partnership
A joint Sasakawa USA–DKI APCSS delegation visited Tokyo, engaging with Japan's National Institute for Defense Studies to explore ways to strengthen the U.S.-Japan alliance and collective defense capabilities.
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 Director Joins East-West Center Pacific Summit Panel
Director Vares-Lum moderated a panel with Pacific Islands leaders during The Pacific Agenda Investment, Security, and Shared Prosperity Summit hosted by Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr., and East-West Center, led by President Celeste Conners. The panel featured President of the Republic of Palau Surangel S. Whipps Jr.; Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Tonga Lord Fatafehi Fakafanua; Prime Minister of the Cook Islands Mark Brown; and the Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso.
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Multinational Armaments Resilience Seminar (MARS) 2026
Building on the success of MARS 2025, DKI APCSS is preparing for the next iteration of the seminar. The program begins May 3–8 in Washington, D.C., followed by modules in Australia in June, South Korea in September, and a capstone module in Hawai’i in November. This multi-phase seminar is a key effort to strengthen the defense industrial base. |
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Module 1: 3-8 May in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania
Module 2: 7-12 June in Australia: Canberra, Adelaide and Melbourne
Module 3: 6-11 September in South Korea: Seoul, TBD
Module 4: 1-6 November in Hawai’i.
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PODCASTS
Strategic Voices
- Episode 2: Nuclear submarines and South Korea's deterrence
- Episode 3: Disruption, Division, Competition: What Shapes Security in the Indo-Pacific? — March 5th | Register here
Dialogues
- #53: Strategy in the Storm with Joe Martin | Listen here
- #54 (Upcoming): Civil War: Myanmar, Five Years On with Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd
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Dr. Deon Canyon — "A Framework for Understanding Cognitive Security as Strategic Terrain" (Security Nexus)
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Sam Mullins — "China Remains Undeterred in the Grey Zone" (East Asia Forum)
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 Assistant Secretary Michael DeSombre of the State Department's Bureau for East Asian and Pacific Affairs met with chiefs of mission and chargés d'affaires from the EAP region at DKI APCSS in January for a pre-Regional Ambassadors Conference (RAC) meeting. Discussions centered on effective coordination, key regional issues, and U.S. government priorities.
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Michael George DeSombre,
Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Amb. Caryn McClelland, U.S. Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam
Amb. David Perdue, U.S. Ambassador to China
Amb. George Glass, U.S. Ambassador to Japan
Amb. Jennifer Johnson, U.S. Ambassador to the Federated States of Micronesia
Amb. Richard Buangan, U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia
Amb. Joel Ehrendreich, U.S. Ambassador to Palau
Amb. Anjani Sinha, U.S. Ambassador to Singapore
Amb. Sean O'Neill, U.S. Ambassador to Thailand
Peter Haymond, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Indonesia
Joy Sakurai, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to ASEAN
Erika Olson, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Australia
Bridgette Walker, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Cambodia
David Gehrenbeck, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to New Zealand, Cook Islands, and Niue
Daniel Tarapacki, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Samoa
P. Daniel O'Hara, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Solomon Islands
Bruce Begnell, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Timor-Leste
Devon Brown, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Tonga
Eric Sheffield, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Vanuatu
Julie Eadeh, Consul General in Hong Kong
Stuart Horne, Consul General, New Zealand
Douglas Sonnek, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Burma
John Degory, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu
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James "Jim" Heller, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to the Republic of Korea
Michelle Outlaw, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Laos
David "Chip" Gamble, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Malaysia
Gregory D'Alesandro, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to the Republic of the Marshall Islands
Y. Robert Ewing, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to the Philippines
Alex Berenberg, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu
Courtner Beale, U.S. Chargé d'affaires a.i. to Vietnam
Raymond Greene, Director, American Institute in Taiwan
Megan Whittemore, Chief of Staff, U.S. Embassy Beijing
Erik Jacobs, Chief of Staff, U.S. Embassy Tokyo
David Gainer, Director of Southeast Asian Affairs, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
La June Barnes, Chief of Staff, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Robert Koepcke, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
B. Seth Bailey, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Joshua Young, China Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Secretary
Brett Blackshaw, Senior Advisor, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
CAPT Barbara Jonas, Senior Military Advisor, Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs
Casey Mace, Senior Official to the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Forum
Jonathan Ward, Senior Policy Advisor, U.S. Department of State
Robert Williams, Senior Advisor to the Counselor, U.S. Department of State
Jim Wilson, Deputy Political Counselor, U.S. Embassy Jakarta
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Additional Leader Engagement
- STAFFDEL China Select Committee
- Advanced Strategic Leadership Studies Program, U.S Army SSC
- USAWC International Fellows
- Australian Minister Counsellor Defence Policy, Ms. Clutterham
- Solomon Islands Delegation
- Joint Staff Strategic Multilayer Assessment Pgm Dir, Mr. Butler
- New Zealand Consul General Stu Horne
- Special Advisor to the Prime Minister Japan, Mr. Sadamasa Oue
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India Alumni Event
More than 50 alumni attended the DKI APCSS India Alumni Event in New Delhi in February 2026. Admiral Paparo addressed the group and took questions, followed by Director Vares-Lum, who reaffirmed the Center's commitment to deepening the U.S.-India partnership. Also in attendance were Maj. Gen. Pat Teague, Col. Matthew A. Kohler, Ms. Shehzi Khan, and Lt. Col. Anthony Hughes.
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 (U.S. Army photos by Staff Sgt. Angel Heraldez)
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Nepal Alumni Event
More than 100 DKI APCSS alumni reunited in Nepal on February 13, 2026, with special guests Chargé d'affaires Scott Urbom and USINDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel J. Paparo. Led by Director Suzanne Vares-Lum, alumni exchanged ideas, strengthened networks, and explored collaborative solutions to advance a stable and Free and Open Indo-Pacific.
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Completed Fellow Projects
Congratulations to the following alumni who recently completed their projects:
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Colonel Jimmy Tiwow (Indonesia), CSC 25-3
Project: Establishing Strategic Partnership between the Indonesia Defense University and the Indonesia Air Force”
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Lieutenant Colonel Dwi Budiman (Indonesia), CSC 25-3
Project: “Enhancing Cybersecurity Awareness for Airman”
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Commodore Mia Naim Rahman (Bangladesh) CSC 25-1
Project: “Leveraging Space Domain Awareness for Bangladesh: Cause and Effect”
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Dr. Sherwin Ona (Philippines),
CSC 25-1 Project: “Executive Cyber Certificate Course for Philippines Public Safety College”
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Colonel Ziad Jalbout (Lebanon), Project: creating a handbook on the protection of cultural property. The handbook has been published and distributed throughout the military forces for training purposes.
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Fauzia Gustarina Timur (Indonesia), CSC 25-3
Project: “The Thinking Battlefield: Advancing Education to Achieve Resilience in Hybrid Warfare”
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Major Okky Freeza Daulay (Indonesia) CSC 25-1 Project: “Indonesian Air Force’s Space Science and Technology Knowledge”
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Commander Sainath Panjeti (U.S.), CSC 25-2
Project: “Navigating the Divide: Analyzing Indonesia’s Interpretation of UNCLOS and Upholding Freedom of the Seas and Overflight”
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EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
DKI APCSS is accepting applications through March 17, 2026 for Assistant/Associate/Full Professor positions in the following fields:
- Defense Industry or Lawfare
- Cyber, Artificial Intelligence, and Disruptive Technology
Learn more and apply
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