For the first time, the Mobile Indo-Pacific Orientation Course (MIPOC) was hosted in Japan thanks to a partnership between U.S. Forces Japan (USFJ) and the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS).

More than 104 Fellows attended the five-day course, hosted at Yakota Air Force Base, held April 15-19, 2024. They represented various U.S. agencies as well as close partners and allies.

The team, led by Dean Carleton Cramer and academic leads Dr. Bill Wieninger and U.S. Coast Guard Capt. Erin Williams included 15 faculty members and support staff. Additionally, DKI APCSS was able to leverage the alumni network and contacts to bring in three Japanese subject matter experts for plenary presentations, which enhanced the course.

The course covered topics such as regional overviews and included a special session on Japan-Korea relations. The course also offered a number of seminars and electives.

According to one of the participants, “The course content improved my understanding of the regional strategic, economic, and security landscapes.”

U.S. Forces Japan Commander Lt. Gen. Ricky N. Rupp was instrumental in bringing the course to Japan.

“This course gives invaluable insights and best practices to those working alongside Japanese counterparts on how to be better alliance partners and operate in such a dynamic region of the world,” said Rupp. “Not only does bringing this course to Japan from Hawaii better serve those in-country, but the new content added due to the growing recognition of the importance of trilateral cooperation here is crucial. I am very happy that our uniformed professionals have another opportunity to better their understanding of what goes into the shared defense of Japan.”

After the course completion, more than 70 people were up in Tokyo for an alumni reception.

“There was a lot of positive energy, and we even had an alumnus from Indonesia who happened to be in Japan join in,” said Wieninger about the event, which had the room overflowing at maximum capacity.

The Indo-Pacific Orientation Course (IPOC) provides an executive education experience for mid-career to senior-level security practitioners. The program enhances participants’ ability to engage in cooperative security efforts. IPOC offers a unique opportunity for security practitioners with an extraordinary range of professional experience, levels of education, and perspectives to engage intensively on regional security issues. The next course will take place in Hawaii in late 2024.