22 - 2021 Archives - Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies

Policy recommendations for combatting overfishing and fisheries crime

By APCSS Editor|2021-10-25T15:26:34-10:00October 22nd, 2021|

By Canyon D, Allen E, Long M, Brown C [*] Introduction Like all natural resources on Earth, fish are finite. While aquaculture now supplies about half of the fish caught annually, and while estimates of amounts being fished vary widely, data suggest that, globally, over one-third of fish stocks are harvested beyond biologically sustainable limits. The problem of overfishing is rapidly getting worse as the mass of captured fish increased four-fold over the past six decades, particularly in tropical oceans. Trends indicate a non-sustainable trajectory for fish populations, worldwide, with increases in per capita fish consumption outstripping human population growth. In [...]

Vaccinate the Pacific!

By APCSS Editor|2021-10-05T11:00:02-10:00October 5th, 2021|

By Kevin E. Lunday* Introduction The United States is a Pacific nation. By its history, geography, and shared culture with other Pacific islanders, the United States is an integral member of the community of nations that make up Oceania.[1] U.S. leadership in Oceania remains vital during the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, especially as the Delta variant spreads and a resurgence of COVID-19 among unvaccinated populations threatens a prolonged crisis of disproportionate impact in the region.[2] As the United States seeks to strengthen its commitment to global vaccination efforts, it should place immediate emphasis on increasing vaccine delivery and administration, supported [...]

China’s Gray Zone Operations in the Yellow Sea

By APCSS Editor|2021-09-30T16:43:37-10:00September 30th, 2021|

By Chungjin Jung * Introduction The People’s Republic of China (PRC) elected a new leader, Xi Jinping, at the 18th Chinese Community Party Congress in 2012 and adopted a new national development strategy goal of ‘building a maritime power.’[1] PRC then declared an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) over the East China Sea (ECS) in 2013 and created artificial islands from reefs in the South China Sea (SCS) in 2014 to expand maritime rights to those seas. Similar activities have developed in multiple forms over the past decade. Military experts name these PRC’s gray-zone operations/activities and have studied their characteristics. [...]

Learning to Live with Endemic COVID-19

By APCSS Editor|2021-09-21T15:47:05-10:00September 21st, 2021|

By Frederic S. Goldstein1, Benjamin J. Ryan2, Deon K. Canyon3 Over the past few months of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have increasingly heard the phrase, “we need to learn to live with it.” Often this refers to accepting and dealing with something when a bad situation or adverse life event alters expected outcomes. In the case of the current pandemic, the end and return to normal was the expected outcome. However, humanity has been overwhelmed by repeated surges of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths associated with the Delta variant. Questions are now being asked about the fate of COVID-19. Is this [...]

A Biodefense Fusion Center to Improve Disease Surveillance and Early Warnings to Enhance National Security

By APCSS Editor|2021-09-20T13:01:54-10:00September 20th, 2021|

By Michael Baker1, Jacob Baker2, Deon Canyon3, Sebastian Kevany3 ABSTRACT Intelligence gathering that includes disease surveillance is an important early warning tool that strengthens decision-making capability and national security. U.S. military, medical assets, and intelligence agencies – and those of our allies are crucial for early detection and response in the future fights against emergent disease outbreaks. It is time to establish a BioDefense Fusion Center. Our intelligence agencies, laboratories, civilian institutions, assets of our allies and partner nations, social media and data mining can be interwoven with technology and leveraged for mutual defense. The basic pillars of an early [...]

Military and Private Sector HADR – Now a Sophisticated Tool for Strategic Competition

By APCSS Editor|2021-09-01T11:49:56-10:00September 1st, 2021|

By Deon K. Canyon [1] Benjamin J. Ryan [2] Introduction The act of offering humanitarian assistance and disaster relief (HADR) was initially a selfless one with the United Nations principles focusing on addressing human suffering, not taking sides, giving based on need, and being free from influence. There are, of course, many wonderful outcomes under the cooperation umbrella that result from the provision of HADR, regardless of what nation or agency provides the aid. The delivery of HADR by the military has become standard practice, especially in the Indo-Pacific. In this region, proactive efforts to enhance military-to-military and military-civilian integration [...]

Wargaming Future National Security Threats Posed by Emerging Vector-Borne Diseases

By APCSS Editor|2021-08-17T16:11:16-10:00August 17th, 2021|

By Deon Canyon DBA PhD MPH FACTM [*] Introduction The year 2020 was notable for the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with 83,927,835 reported cases and 1,834,358 deaths, but few people beyond infectious disease experts were aware that in the same year, hundreds of millions were afflicted by vector-borne diseases, such as malaria and Dengue, that killed over 700,000 people.[1] Vector-borne diseases (VBD) have been a threat to human health for centuries, and while many people consider diseases like malaria to be an African problem, arboviruses such as West Nile virus, Dengue fever, Zika virus and Chikungunya virus have emerged and spread in [...]

Lessons from India’s Handling of the Second Wave of SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant Surge

By APCSS Editor|2021-08-06T14:30:49-10:00August 6th, 2021|

By Srini Sitaraman, Professor, DKI APCSS Sebastian Kevany, Associate Professor, DKI APCSS[*] Abstract The second wave of the coronavirus caused by the mutant Delta variant led to the deaths of 209,182 people from April 15 to June 17, 2021 in India (Data source: Our World in Data). But, some estimates peg the number of COVID-19-related deaths significantly higher (see footnote no. 1). This article assesses India’s handling of the second wave of the coronavirus, and seeks to draw some lessons from India’s experience. Several causes emerged simultaneously and unfortunately, colluded to surprise and overwhelm public health officials and the Indian [...]

Combating Health-Related Cyber Security Threats with Health Systems Approaches

By APCSS Editor|2021-07-12T11:01:53-10:00July 12th, 2021|

By Drs. Sebastian Kevany and Deon Canyon* Cyber Attacks on Health Systems A clear overlap between cyber security and public health realms was made evident during the cyber attacks on Ireland’s health system in May 2021. Through an encryption process, hackers were able to disable the functionality of the Irish health system, putting lives at risk through the postponement of operations and other essential services. The challenge faced by the Irish government, and the public health system, was to weigh the trade-offs between paying ransom to the hacking group versus risking the release of protected public health information. At the [...]

Senior Leaders Wargame Insights into the U.S. – North Korea Nuclear Standoff

By APCSS Editor|2021-06-22T15:15:13-10:00June 22nd, 2021|

By Deon Canyon,1 Jonathan Cham,2 Jim Potenza3 Introduction On July 28, 2017, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) tested an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) that experts asserted could threaten the mainland United States (Sanger, et al., 2017). This event triggered major shifts in US-DPRK relations. Within an eleven-month period, the two parties moved from threatening kinetic strikes on the other to participating in an unprecedented meeting between the two heads of state. In retrospect, it is easy to place these events within the broader context of US-DPRK relations. However, for decision-makers facing down that pivotal moment, the future seemed [...]

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