Editorial: by Rouben Azizian, Ph.D., and Lt. Nicholas Matcheck U.S. Navy The Security Sector Development team from the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies discusses the Colombian Peace Process and Asia-Pacific issues at the Military University of Nueva Granada in Bogotá, Colombia. T he security sector development in the Asia-Pacific could draw lessons from the valuable experience and accomplishments of Colombia, a Pacific Latin American nation, which has been struggling for decades to end a devastating civil conflict. The conflict has features familiar to several Asia-Pacific nations that are trying to end internal insurgencies and associated with it drug trafficking, [...]

Editorial: by Jeffrey W. Hornung In late 2011, the U.S. administration of President Barack Obama initiated a strategy to rebalance to the Asia-Pacific region. Although initially introduced as a ‘pivot’ to the region, within a year the strategy was rebranded as the rebalance. Administration officials have since made repeated efforts to promote the strategy, including speeches and Congressional testimony detailing the broad outlines of the U.S. effort. Repeatedly included are references to the need for the United States to rely more heavily on friends and allies. Within this group Japan always ranks the highest, given the large concentration of U.S. forces, [...]

One hundred one Fellows from 44 different locations graduated today from the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies’ Comprehensive Security Responses to Terrorism (CSRT) course in Honolulu. Of the 101 participants, 70% were from military organizations and law enforcement agencies, with others representing various government ministries, foreign affairs departments and intelligence services and academic institutions. Just over half of the course participants were from the Asia-Pacific region, with five continents represented. Fellows participating in CSRT 14-1 were from Bangladesh, Brazil, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Columbia, Djibouti, Egypt, El Salvador, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, [...]

Thirty-five Fellows completed the Senior Executive Asia-Pacific Orientation Course (SEAPOC) 14-1 January 17 at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. Eleven international Fellows attended the course coming from Australia, Canada, Japan, Singapore, the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. The remaining Fellows were from the U.S. SEAPOC provides an overview of the Asia-Pacific region to senior military officers with respect for greater demands on their time and existing basis of knowledge. It also directly supports the U.S. Pacific Command by providing its staff and supporting components a compressed and comprehensive educational environment. The Senior Executive Asia-Pacific Orientation Course (SEAPOC) builds upon existing [...]

Editorial:   Japan’s New Security Policies Jeffrey W. Hornung, Ph.D.   F or the past decade, Northeast Asia has experienced dramatic changes. China’s rapid economic growth has been accompanied by an equally rapid rise in its military spending and a willingness to engage in coercive diplomacy. North Korea too has become increasingly belligerent and willing to engage in missile and nuclear proliferation. To Japan, these changes pose existential threats. For years, Japanese policymakers have been debating a range of options to deal with them. This led to changes on the margins, such as participating in missile defense with the United States. [...]