This was the topic of discussion at a recent workshop entitled “The U.S.-South Asia Leader Engagement Program: Charting the Water Future of South Asia.” Held April 28 to May 3 at Harvard University, the workshop was co-hosted by the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, the Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies and the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Participating in the workshop were 37 subject matter experts from 11 nations including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Burma, China, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, and the United States. Workshop participants included eight women and 29 men from the senior executive level (two-star and higher and civilian equivalents) to director level (O-6 and higher and civilian equivalents) representing different backgrounds including senior politicians, military/defense, foreign affairs/diplomacy, policy-makers, academics, non-governmental institutions, think tanks and water SMEs, strategic decision-makers, security practitioners and policy planners (civilian and defense officials).

According to APCSS academic lead, Dr. Virginia Bacay Watson, the workshop focused on understanding the different dimensions and complexities that inform water security in a volatile and complex South Asian security environment. It also explored new ways of collectively thinking about the ‘water issue’ in the region and participants identified ways and means for collective and collaborative engagement to pre-empt and address water security concerns in the region.

Workshop presentations covered topics such as Water Security as a Global Issue, the Politics and Diplomacy of Water, Water Security in the Himalayan Watershed, Transforming Water Conflicts, and Groundwater Management in South Asia.

Developing a more comprehensive, common and deeper understanding of regional and sub-regional perspectives on water security issues was an important outcome of the workshop.   One participant stated, “After four decades of cynicism, this workshop revived my faith that progress in South Asia is possible.”

As part of the workshop, the participants also developed action items for mitigating strategies and recommendations related to improving regional and sub-regional water security. 

APCSS and NESA are two of five Department of Defense Regional Centers focused on building security cooperation.  This is the third time that APCSS, NESA and the Kennedy School have worked together on South Asia security issues.  

The APCSS leadership, award winners and supporting staff pose for a group photo after the ceremony.

HONOLULU — Today, 13 Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS) employees were recognized at the Honolulu-Pacific Federal Executive Board’s (FEB) 57th Annual Excellence in Federal Government Awards luncheon held at the Hickam Air Force Base Officers Club.

The annual luncheon honors employees from many government agencies in Hawaii for their outstanding efforts, dedication, and contribution to the workforce and community. Each employee was selected by his or her organization.

APCSS’ Regional Engagements Operations Department (REOD) (formerly Conference Support) was awarded for Team Excellence at the luncheon.  Chief of REOD Lenore Patton explains why they were successful.

“There is an old African tribal proverb which I put my own spin to which goes ‘Do it alone you can go fast, do it as a team you can go far’.  Whether handling multilateral workshops, back-to-back visits, or special events, the team in the Regional Engagement Operations Department is a testament to taking it far…both literally and figuratively! We do this by collaborating through months of planning, putting their heads together to streamline processes, and working shoulder-to-shoulder through the long hours of hard work. Combine this with the fact that they all genuinely appreciate and respect each other and you get a great team that I’m so proud to be a part of.”

The APCSS awardees for 2012 are:

• Team Excellence:  Regional Engagements Operations Department (formerly known as Conference Support)  - Ms. Lenore Patton, Army Maj. Analisa Larkin, Mr. Terrence Slattery, Ms. Cherrielynn Kamahele, Ms. Lynne Yamashita, Ms. Doris Dyogi, Ms. Elizabeth Leong and Ms. Chelsie Hayles.  

• Federal Employee of the Year (Clerical/Assistant):  Marine Corps Sgt. Jared Ching (Human Resources Department) 

• Federal Employee of the Year (Professional/Admin/Tech):  Ms. Josefa Brettler (Alumni Division)

• Federal Leader/Supervisor/Manager of the Year: Marine Corps Maj. Douglas Krugman (College of Security Studies)

• Exceptional Community Service: Ms. Tessie Magaoay (Network Technology Division)

• Mentor of the Year: Navy Lt. Cmdr. Ryan Perry (Procurement and Supply Division)

Director of APCSS retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Dan “Fig” Leaf was a presenter for the ceremony and had this to say about the event.

“The FEB Awards Ceremony was a great chance to recognize civilian and military, individual and team accomplishments” explained Leaf.  “Their excellence inspires me and serves as a stellar example of effective governance for our Fellows and participants.  I am proud to serve with the APCSS Ohana.”

The Federal Executive Boards (FEBs) were created by Presidential Directive in 1961 to foster communication, coordination and collaboration among Federal field agencies. FEBs build interagency partnerships and community involvement to create and nurture working relationships that address issues of shared interest. Currently, approximately 88% of Federal employees are located outside the Washington, DC area. Across the nation, in 28 locations with a high concentration of Federal agencies and Federal employees, FEBs provide a forum for local Federal leaders to share management challenges and strategies to meet agency missions and goals, identify common issues, develop collaborative efforts to address those issues, and share best practices among their peers.

The Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies is a Department of Defense academic institute that addresses regional and global security issues.  Military and civilian representatives of the U.S. and Asia-Pacific nations participate in our comprehensive program of executive education, professional exchanges and outreach events, both in Hawaii and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. APCSS’ mission is to educate, connect, and empower security practitioners to advance Asia-Pacific security.

See more photos of the ceremony on the APCSS Facebook page.

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Attending the regional security course were participants from: Afghanistan, Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chile, China, Colombia, Fiji, India, Indonesia, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nepal, Niue, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Papua New Guinea, Republic of Korea, Russia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu, United States, Vanuatu, Vietnam, Western Samoa, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the United Nations.

The four-week Executive Course focus is on building relationships among mid-career leaders and decision makers within the region. Its curriculum emphasizes the non-war fighting aspects of security and international relations, and challenges Fellows to develop regional and transnational perspectives. Security is examined as a comprehensive mix of political, economic, social, military, diplomatic, information and ecological dimensions.

The Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies is a Department of Defense academic institute that addresses regional and global security issues. Military and civilian representatives, most from the U.S. and Asia-Pacific nations, participate in a comprehensive program of executive education, professional exchanges and outreach events, both in Hawaii and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The Center supports the U.S. Pacific Command by developing and sustaining relationships among security practitioners and national security establishments throughout the region. APCSS’ mission is to build capacities and communities of interest by educating, connecting, and empowering security practitioners to advance Asia-Pacific security. It is one of the Department of Defense’s five regional security studies centers.

Since opening in 1995, APCSS has had participants from 104 countries and territories, and four international organizations attend courses at the Center for a total of 7,441 alumni.

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See more photos on Facebook.

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“Expanding the role and impact of women in security is not a women’s issue, but an essential part of achieving the goals of good governance and effective leadership,” stated Dr. Lori Forman, workshop academic lead. “Both men and women must contribute to these goals: success is found through mutual deliberation of the issues and joint development of the recommendations.”

The workshop provided an opportunity to understand and articulate the case for increasing inclusion as a vital element of effective security sectors by asking the questions: In an increasingly globalized and complex world, what is the relevant definition of the “security sector”? In which of these security fields is the impact of women’s perspectives being felt, and where does work remain to be done? What actions should be taken – nationally and regionally – to expand inclusion of diverse perspectives, build effective security sectors, and enhance good governance throughout the region?

The 39 participants from nine countries in the region discussed this topic from national, sub-regional, and region-wide perspectives. Participants were director-level representatives different backgrounds including defense, foreign affairs, law enforcement, economic, social, and resource-related ministries. They came from Bangladesh, Fiji, Indonesia, Nepal, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Tonga, the United States, and Vietnam.

Some of the workshop findings included:

•         An effective security sector must be (a) comprehensive enough to recognize, plan for, respond and adapt to a wide range of security challenges, and (b) inclusive enough to assure adequate representation of relevant viewpoints so that supported groups and communities have a sense of representation and ownership in security matters.

•         Those countries with inclusive national security institutions already in place validated the utility of such an approach; those with security sector development processes underway noted the opportunity to build inclusion into their upcoming strategies.

•         Policy level commitment, legal frameworks and regional/bilateral/multilateral cooperation frameworks on women which reinforce inclusiveness already exist; however, substantial gaps persist in implementation.

•         Top level leadership and political will is vital to success. Advocacy by men at all levels is a vital factor in furthering gender inclusion.

•         There is no need to reinvent the wheel; existing security sector development programs can be used as the entry point to enhancing inclusion. Opportunities readily exist to enhance such efforts.

•         Culture, tradition and structural barriers are common inhibitors to inclusion. Education is recognized as a primary enabler of inclusion. Legal measures – both temporary and permanent — are often required to influence the necessary cultural transformation.

•         Actions need not focus on bringing women into security sector, but on recognizing they are already there. As a corollary, quality – the merit and competencies of positions and of personnel – is more important than quantity.

According to APCSS Director and workshop lead, LtGen (Ret) Dan Leaf, “The success of this workshop reinforces the APCSS commitment to the DOD role in the National Action Plan on ‘Women, Peace and Security.’ WPS has enabled the Center to address this key issue of inclusion, to expand the participation a broader segment of the security community, and to increase our understanding through engagement with professionals like the participants in this effort.  I am confident that the discussion and conclusions from Nha Trang will generate positive action in U.S. and other security communities.”

[Show as slideshow]

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Fellows participating in CSRT were from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cambodia, Canada, China, Colombia, Djibouti, Dominican Republic, Fiji, Guyana, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kenya, Kiribati, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mongolia, Mozambique and Nepal.  They also came from Oman, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Samoa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tonga, Turkey, United Nations, United States, Vietnam and Yemen.

The course was divided into four modules.  The first, Introduction to Combating Terrorism, examined the origins, definitions, and significance of the problem.  It also forced fellows to think critically about their sources of information and ways of thinking to drive them to a greater understanding of the problem.  The second module, Security Governance, was a multi-faceted study of effective security governance that first worked to define it as a goal and then examined both components of it and challenges to it.  The course then transitioned into Interpreting the Environment, which an emphasis on understanding the drivers of terrorism and ways to counter-act those forces.  The final module, Cooperation, began with a negotiations and communications exercise and then showed how the materials of the previous modules could be most effectively applied through both internal and international collaboration.  Throughout the course, Fellows participated in daily seminar discussions of the material to provide a robust, interactive capstone experience.  They also worked with the other course Fellows from within their regions, in some cases breaching national rivalries, to first better understand the biases that drive decision making in their cultures and later to examine future trends in their regions and the best means to collaborate to mitigate the coming challenges.

The Comprehensive Security Responses to Terrorism Course provides key states in the Asia-Pacific region and other designated countries, the operational and strategic-level skills necessary to enhance their ability to combat terrorism while cooperating with other regional nations.  It is also designed to build relation-ships between and among the United States and current and future counterterrorism practitioners of participating countries, develop the trust and confidence necessary for increased information sharing, and identify ways to reduce obstacles to cooperation in the international struggle against those who use terror to promote their goals.

The Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies is a Department of Defense academic institute that addresses regional and global security issues. Military and civilian representatives, most from the U.S. and Asia-Pacific nations, participate in a comprehensive program of executive education, professional exchanges and outreach events, both in Hawaii and throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The Center supports the U.S. Pacific Command by developing and sustaining relationships among security practitioners and national security establishments throughout the region.  APCSS’ mission is to build capacities and communities of interest by educating, connecting, and empowering security practitioners to advance Asia-Pacific security.  It is one of the Department of Defense’s five regional security studies centers.  Since opening in 1995, the Center has had representatives from 104 countries and territories attend courses at the Center for a total of 7,340 alumni.

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APCSS Faculty members take questions after their briefings on the Asia-Pacific region.

Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies’ (APCSS) faculty members led by Deputy Dean Army Col. (Ret.) Dave Shanahan held a panel session as part of U.S. Pacific Command’s (USPACOM) Science and Technology Conference (S&T) March 5 at the Hawaiian Hilton Village in Honolulu.

The APCSS faculty team briefed on Energy Security Issues (Dr. Bill Wieninger), Climate Change & Environmental Security Issues (Dr. Scott Hauger), Maritime Security Issues (Prof. Kerry Nankivell) and Information Technology & Cyber Security Issues (Prof. Butch Finley). APCSS Director Lt. Gen. (Ret.) Dan Leaf also briefed participants on the APCSS mission and the “Rebalance” of the Asia-Pacific region.

Pacific Command has hosted the Pacific Operational S&T Conference for the past 14 years. It is the largest combatant command S&T Conference, attended by more than 600 people. This conference supports Pacific Command by strengthening and advancing alliances and partnerships through science and technology.

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