APCSS Activities Report for January 2011

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Activities Report - January 2011

APCSS Graduates Largest Class

Fellows from Australia, Canada, Singapore, Taiwan and the United States made up the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies' largest class ever. The 113 Fellows included 82 military members and 31 civilians who attended the "Asia-Pacific Orientation Course."

This course provides an introduction to Asia-Pacific culture, politics, protocols and challenges, while addressing U.S. interests in the region. The curriculum examines: Regional Perspectives, Treaty Alliance Partners & Security Challenges, Key Regional Players & Security Challenges, Regional Issues, and Transnational Challenges. Attention is given to both historical and emerging issues. More...

Alumni Feedback: "The APOC 11-1 Course that I participated in this week was one of the most intellectually stimulating and insightful Geo-Political courses that I have attended over the last 12 months. The course, the Fellows and the APCSS staff facilitated the varied regional and international viewpoints facing both America and our regional partner's vital national interests"

SEAPOC 11-1 Graduates

Sixteen Fellows graduated from the Senior Executive Asia-Pacific Orientation Course (SEAPOC) 11-1 at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies Jan. 14.

SEAPOC provides an overview of the Asia-Pacific region to senior military officers, in a shorter format that respects the greater demands on the senior Fellows' time and existing basis of knowledge. It also directly supports the U.S. Pacific Command by providing its staff and supporting components and compressed and comprehensive educational environment. More...

Upcoming Workshops & Outreach Events

Asia-Pacific Security and U.S.-Sino Relationships

Mar. 24-29, 2011 in Beijing & Shanghai, China

An APCSS Team will travel to China to engage Chinese academics in discussion of security challenges of mutual concern to both the United States and China. Two days of discussion will be conducted in Beijing in concert with the Carnegie-Tsinghua Center for Global Policy and the Center for International and Strategic Studies (CISS). An additional two days of discussion will be conducted in Shanghai with Tongji University and the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences.

Security Sector Development; National Priorities and Regional Approaches
Apr. 4-8, 2011 in Honolulu

Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, and Nepal will be the focus of the third Security Sector Development workshop. The 5-day workshop is designed to promote a common and better understanding of a Security Sector, its management and supervision, as well as evolving roles and responsibilities of security institutions. It will specifically address the following areas: 1) Composition of the security sector: national characteristics and international practice, 2) Security sector governance: challenges and opportunities, 3) Interfaces and engagements with and between security sector organizations, 4) Mechanisms of effectively developing security systems.

New Website Launched

Check it out... APCSS has launched a new website design. The URL remains www.apcss.org

Faculty Updates

Several APCSS faculty members are scheduled to present at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's (AAAS) 2011 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., February 17-21. Dr. Scott Hauger and Dr. Virginia Watson will be organizing a panel on Water Security during the meeting.

Emergency Management Asia 2011 was held in Bangkok, Thailand January 11-13. The conference, attended by more than 50 disaster preparedness and emergency management professionals from the Asia-Pacific region, was chaired by APCSS' Dr. James Campbell. Dr. Campbell also presented a lecture on Integrated Disaster Management and led a panel discussion on Preparing Multiple Stakeholders for a CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) emergency.

Professor Jessica Ear traveled to Washington, D.C. and New York City in January to meet and explore potential strategic value of cooperation with NGOs, IOs, and UN agencies. All organizations expressed notable interest in working with APCSS, whether as course participants, subject matter experts or collaborators in other regional activities.

Dr. Virginia Watson delivered a lecture on Philippine armed groups and counterinsurgency issues at the the Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups of the Strategy and Policy Department at the Naval War College in January. While there she also participated in a roundtable discussion with current course Fellows on the same topic.

Military Professor Lt.Col. Michael Mollohan supported 3d Marine Expeditionary Forces (III MEF) pre-Cobra Gold 2011 training by providing country and cultural awareness training/briefings on the Kingdom of Thailand in January. The classes were held at Futenma Marine Corps Air Station, Okinawa, Japan and attended by approximately 300+ Marines, Sailors and civilians preparing to deploy to Southeast Asia and the Kingdom of Thailand. Additionally, LtCol Mollohan held a more detailed professional military education event for select group of Staff NCOs and Officers on the current situation in the region and particularly in Thailand with respect to contemporary security issues. This event was supported by the Center for Advanced Operational Cultural Awareness (CAOCL) Quantico, Virginia.

Construction Begins on Wing C

Trees are being moved and fencing is going up as construction begins on the long awaited "Wing C." The facilities staff and the course managers are working closely with the contractor to minimize noise that might disrupt courses. The building will be completed in mid-2012. More...