HONOLULU — The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) welcomed 36 senior Fellows from 26 countries and economies across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to the Transnational Security Cooperation (TSC) 26-1 course — our premier program designed exclusively for senior security practitioners. Participants engaged in an intensive exploration of critical transnational security challenges shaping the modern geopolitical landscape. The course opened with a distinguished keynote address by U.S. Ambassador to India and Special Envoy for South and Central Asia, the Honorable Sergio Gor, who framed the week’s strategic focus, “Regional Deterrence Through Burden Sharing,” underscoring the vital importance of collaborative security frameworks in an increasingly complex world.

Utilizing the Center’s “Executive Learning Model,” the course promoted non-attribution dialogue among strategic peers. The curriculum facilitated deep dives into the disruption of artificial intelligence, synchronizing the defense industrial base, and navigating borderless domains like space and cyber.

“Our goal for this week was to go beyond simply admiring the problem,” said DKI APCSS Professor Shyam Tekwani. “We wanted these leaders to critically examine how deterrence is changing and identify actionable ways to work together for regional security.”

The high-trust environment allowed Fellows to tackle the realities of modern strategic competition. During these discussions, a major consensus emerged regarding how nations cooperate. The Fellows highlighted that true deterrence relies far more on demonstrated political will, economic resilience, and coalition legitimacy than on pure military capability alone. They also noted that the goals of burden sharing are most effectively realized when partners view it as a shared responsibility or cooperative security.

This iteration of TSC also featured a notable level of engagement from senior U.S. leadership. Following Amb. Gor’s opening keynote, Fellows participated in an off-site engagement at U.S. Pacific Command headquarters to hear directly from U.S. Pacific Command Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo on the command’s Prevail Forward strategy.

For many of the Fellows representing smaller nations, the course provided a vital platform to articulate their unique strategic perspectives. Discussions frequently highlighted omni-directional hedging — or bamboo diplomacy — and underscored that for many Indo-Pacific partners, economic resilience is synonymous with national security.

The week concluded with a formal commencement ceremony, providing a distinguished atmosphere for the Fellows, Center staff, and attending consuls general to celebrate the cohort’s achievements.

As the 36 senior leaders received their certificates and lanyards, they officially joined the DKI APCSS alumni network — an international community of security professionals equipped to operationalize the trust forged in Honolulu. Armed with a mutual understanding of cooperative security, these leaders return to their nations better prepared to safeguard a free, open, and resilient Indo-Pacific.