ASIA‑PACIFIC CENTER FOR SECURITY STUDIES

SUMMARY OF COMPLETED CONFERENCES

 

If you would like a complete conference report for any of these conferences please e-mail:  conferencedivision@apcss.org

 

 

1995

 

Peacekeeping Lessons Learned Conference.  Honolulu, Hawaii, June 28-30, 1995.  Co-host: USPACOM.  45 participants and 55 observers from Australia, Bangladesh, Canada, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Nepal, New Zealand, Pakistan, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and the United States.  Plenary sessions focused on the many facets of peacekeeping operations, outlined United States and United Nations peacekeeping policy, and described how one can apply measures of effectiveness.  In addition, every country delegation presented papers on the lessons they learned during their participation in peacekeeping operations. 

 

Asia‑Pacific Center for Security Studies Conference on Asia‑Pacific Security for the 21st Century:  Managing Change and Stability.  Honolulu, Hawaii,

September 3-6, 1995.  Co-host: none.  32 countries 110 participants.  Participants from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Cambodia, Canada, China, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, South Korea, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mongolia, New Zealand, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Kingdom, Western Samoa and the United States.  The conference included four plenary sessions: Perspectives on the Way Ahead in the Asia‑Pacific Region by Secretary of Defense William J. Perry, The Challenges of Political and Social Change to Regional Stability and Cooperation, The Challenges of Economic Change to Regional Stability and Cooperation, and The Challenges of Military/Technological Change to Regional Stability and Cooperation.  Also included were four workshop sessions on Political/Social Change, Economic Change, Military/Technological Change, and Managing Change.

 

Humanitarian Support Operations Conference.  Honolulu, Hawaii,

September 17-23, 1995.  Co-hosts: The Center Of Excellence in Disaster Management and Humanitarian Assistance, American Red Cross, US Army Medical Command, and USPACOM.  150 participants were representatives from Pacific Basin and Rim Countries, US Embassy Country Teams, Non-governmental Organizations

(e.g., SUMA, World Vision, Save the Children), Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, United Nations, and Department of Defense.  Countries represented were Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Philippines, Switzerland, Thailand, Tonga and the United States.  Main agenda included:  The Geneva Conventions and International Humanitarian Law in Complex Emergencies, Security Skill Development for the Humanitarian Professional, Regional Organizations in Peace Operations, and Coordinating United Nations Humanitarian Assistance in the Field.

 

 

1996

 

ASEAN Regional Forum Inter-Sessional Meeting on Search and Rescue Cooperation and Coordination in the Asia Pacific Region (ARF SAR ISM).  Honolulu, Hawaii, March 4-7, 1996.  Co-hosts:  Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs,

U.S. State Department Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, and USPACOM.  80 participants from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, Thailand, the United States and Vietnam.  Also included were representatives of the European Union, IMO, and ICAO.  Topics included:  International SAR Conventions/Publications, Regional SAR Training Overview, Civilian and Military SAR Coordination and Cooperation, SAR Communications and the Potential for Regional Coordination and Cooperation, and Benefits of Regional SAR Coordination and Cooperation. 

 

Asia-Pacific Senior Seminar.  Honolulu, Hawaii, April 8-14, 1996.  Co-hosts:  The East-West Center and Pacific Forum CSIS.  This was their 3rd annual seminar.  30 governmental and academic participants from Australia, Cambodia, Canada, China, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Philippines, Pakistan, Singapore, South Korea, the United States, Vietnam, ASEAN, and the United Nations.  Topics focused on the outlook of security and economics dynamics,

sub-regional issues and perspectives, and region-wide issues and processes. 

 

U.S.-Japan Security Relations Conference.  Honolulu, Hawaii, May 8, 1996.

Co-host: Defense Research Center-Japan.  17 senior level governmental and academic participants discussed topics such as the security environment in the region, the defense policy of the United States and Japan, US-Japan security cooperation, and confidence building measures in the region. 

 

1997

 

Conference on Transitions of Power:  Democratic Enlargement in Asia.  Honolulu, Hawaii, January 27-29, 1997.  Co-host:  The Asia Foundation.  40 participants from Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Mongolia, Philippines, Taiwan, and the United States.  Topics included:  Transitions in the Military Role, Structuring Transparency in the Political Process, Mongolia's Election and Transitional Experience, Governance and Party Politics, Economic Reform and Its Impact on Political Liberalization, and Implications for Regional Stability. 

 

1997 Pacific Symposium.  Honolulu, Hawaii, April 28-29, 1997.  Co-host:  National Defense University Institute for National Strategic Studies.  260 participants from Australia, Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Russia, Thailand, United Kingdom and the United States.  The Symposium concentrated on the utility and missions of military forces of the Asia-Pacific nations.  The objective was to develop a military balance assessment of where Asia-Pacific military forces are today as well as where they are going tomorrow; to assess present and future force structure, with the resultant understanding of how the militaries of the region will interact with each other and the United States; and to describe some concepts for how to effect constructive engagement among Asia‑Pacific defense ministries and forces. 

 

Environmental Change and Regional Security Conference.  Honolulu, Hawaii,

June 9-11, 1997.  Co-host:  The Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College.  60 participants from Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Mongolia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, the United States, and Western Samoa.  The purpose of the conference was to provide a forum in which national officials, academics, and military officers could explore the security implications of environmental change within the region.  Plenary sessions focused on topics such as

A Framework for Thinking About Environmental Change in Asia, Environmental Challenges to Regional Stability and Conflict, Environment as a Catalyst for Asia-Pacific Cooperation, and Defense Cooperation in Environmental Protection issues. 

 

Annual Conference of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies:  Asia-Pacific Security For the 21st  Century.  Honolulu, Hawaii, November 3-6, 1997.  Co-host: none.  165 participants from 35 countries.  Participants from Australia, Bangladesh, Brunei, Canada, China, Cook Islands, England, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mongolia, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue Island, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tonga, Tuvalu, the United States, Vanuatu, and Vietnam.  Plenary panels focused on dynamics of the Asia-Pacific from a sub-regional perspective.  Four working groups addressed new dimensions in the region with topics such as Political Transition, Social Change, and Regional Security; Economic Development and Regional Security; Military Modernization, Technological Change and Security; and Transnational Security Issues. 

 

 

2nd Annual Conference on U.S.-Japan Security Relations.  Honolulu, Hawaii, November 19, 1997.  Co-host: Japan Defense Research Center.  25 senior level governmental and academic participants from Japan and the US discussed topics related to the security environment of the Asia-Pacific Region and the US-Japan security relationship.  Topics included:  Potential Threats and Flashpoints and The Guidelines Review and Implications for the Future.