Indo-Pacific Security Forum: Resilience, Force Posture and Readiness
Security & Defence PLuS will host the second Indo-Pacific Security Forum on 11 May 2026, in Honolulu, Hawai'i, at a moment when the region is entering a decisive phase of sustained strategic competition.
To prevail in a high-consequence environment, nations must move beyond traditional readiness toward
Decision Superiority: the ability to sense, understand, and act at a tempo that outpaces any competitor. This forum brings together an elite cohort of senior military, policy architects, leading thinkers, and industry innovators that will explore the spaces between strategic theory and operational execution across the spectrum of modern and post-modern deterrence.
The program focuses on the emerging need for continuous, whole-of-nation readiness. By examining the notion of resilience, panelists explore how nations prepare for uncertainty, to include the possibility of future armed conflict. Hosted inside the Indo-Pacific region, this Forum provides a place for leaders to discuss shared interests and navigate the challenges ahead.
2026 Speakers Include:
- Lieutenant General Simon Stuart, AO, DSC, Chief of the Australian Army
- Governor Josh Green, MD, Governor of Hawai'i
- Lieutenant General (Ret) Jennifer Short, United States Air Force
- Major General George Rowell, Director of Strategic Planning and Policy, United States Indo-Pacific Command
- Major General Giles J.S. Cornelia, DSM, CSM, Australian Army, Deputy Commanding General - Strategy and Plans, United States Army Pacific
- Major General Matthew T. Mowery, Deputy Commander, United States Marine Corps Forces, Pacific
- Major General (Ret) Suzy Puanani Vares-Lum, Director, The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
- Professor Sir Bashir M. Al-Hashimi CBE, Vice President (Research & Innovation), King’s College London and Chair, PLuS Alliance [Video Message]
- Greg Wilcock, Australian Consul-General, Honolulu
- Commodore Jonathan Lett, Royal Navy, J5 Deputy for Policy, United States Indo-Pacific Command
- Brigadier General Jim Bliss, New Zealand Army, J4 Strategy, United States Indo-Pacific Command
- Ambassador Amanda Ellis, Executive Director, Asia-Pacific, Global Institute of Sustainability and Innovation and Senior Director, Global Partnerships and Networks, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University
- Anthony Wilson, Executive Director, Brindabella & Company
- Celeste Connors, President, East-West Center
- Ed Barnabas, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer (Indo-Pacific), Booz Allen Hamilton
- Captain Chris Dyke, Royal Navy Chief of Staff (Indo-Pacific) UK Carrier Strike Force
- Bernice Kissinger, Ballard Partners Honolulu Office and Managing Member, Kissinger Advisors
- Dr Dave Kilcullen, Professor of Practice, School of Politics and Global Studies, Arizona State University; Professor of International and Political Studies, UNSW Canberra
- Nycki Brooks, Co-Founder, Primus Global Solutions and Former Commander, National Ground Intelligence Center
- Dr Roger Cliff, Senior China Analyst, United States Indo-Pacific Command
- Kimberly Lehn, Senior Director, Pacific Forum
- Adam Korzeniewski, AUKUS Liaison, Arms Control and International Security, United States Department of State
- Brigadier (Ret) Dr Ian Langford, Executive Director, Security & Defence PLuS
- Dr Ryan Shaw, Managing Director of Strategic Initiatives & Senior University Advisor to the President, Arizona State University
- Dr Alessio Patalano, Professor of War & Strategy in East Asia, Department of War Studies, King’s College London
- Dr Huw Davies, Professor of British Military History, Defence Studies Department, King’s College London
- Dr Alicia Ellis, Director, MA in Global Security Program, School of Politics & Global Studies, Arizona State University
Building on the success of our inaugural Indo-Pacific Security Forum held in May 2025, the event is once again scheduled for the day preceding the AUSA LANPAC Symposium, enabling us to capitalise on the presence of senior defence, government, and industry leaders in Honolulu.
If you are in Hawai'i or able to travel, we highly recommend you attend in-person to learn, engage in dialogue and network. If unable to join us in-person, the formal programme will be live-streamed, so feel free to register for virtual attendance.
