THIS EVENT TOOK PLACE IN FEBRUARY 2025.
#HDF25
About
Building on 2024’s Operationalizing Integration in the Indo-Pacific Conference in Honolulu, the Pacific Forum proudly presents the Honolulu Defense Forum (HDF): 2025. Designed as an annual event in Honolulu, this year’s conference will focus on leveraging geography, private-public partnerships, and the power of alliances and partnerships to strengthen resilience and enhance deterrence.
It will dive into how this community can collectively innovate and prioritize efforts to recapitalize and position U.S. and allied capabilities forward in the Indo-Pacific theater and compete vigorously against strategic threats today. Building on the themes of last year’s conference— developing a shared narrative and sense of urgency regarding the security environment, promoting the need for enhanced capacity and capability among our allies and partners, and outlining the challenges and solutions for greater integration—this year’s event will identify actionable priorities for operationalizing U.S. and allied capabilities.
Themes
Operationalizing Urgency: What are the immediate actions and critical fixes needed to enhance readiness and deterrence in the Indo-Pacific?
Building and Sustaining Integrated Defense Capabilities: What is required to operationalize sustainment networks in the Indo-Pacific for deterrence and military operations and how do we leverage industry expertise and collaboration with allies to enhance logistical support and ensure strategic posturing?
Harnessing Critical Technologies at Scale: What critical technologies do we need to prioritize in high-intensity scenarios and how do we quickly integrate enabling technologies across defense systems and applications to advance information sharing and operations?
Driving Innovation and Competitiveness in Security Initiatives: What does optimal collaboration among industry, venture capital, and government look like to innovate and invest in security initiatives that address evolving threats and emerging opportunities in the region?
Building a Robust Industrial Base: What collaborative approaches will further enhance cooperation in defense procurement, industrial capacity, and supply chain resilience as well as bring opportunities for co-development, co-production, and co-sustainment with allies and partners?
Promoting Regional Security: Do our policies, resources, and operational planning align effectively to promote our regional security interests in the Indo-Pacific region? What more can the U.S. and its allies and partners do to reinforce security, promote a rules based international order, deter conflict and support each other against regional threats? How do we bring attention to, and combat, malign behavior and influence in the Indo-Pacific region?
Speakers and Distinguished Guests
Subject to Change (as of 12/09/2024)
Opening Welcome Dinner
Keynote Address
Admiral Samuel Paparo
Commander
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Admiral Phil Davidson, USN (Ret.)
Former 25th Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
The Honorable Mac Thornberry
Former U.S. Representative for Texas & Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee
Rear Admiral Robert P. Girrier, USN (Ret.)
President Emeritus
Pacific Forum International
Dr. David Santoro
President
Pacific Forum International
Featured Guests
United States and Allies & Partners
Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE)
Chairman of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation, U.S. House Armed Services Committee
Ed Barnabas
Vice President and Chief Technologist
Booz Allen Hamilton
A.J. Bertone
Managing Partner
In-Q-Tel
Deputy Minister Stefanie Beck
Deputy Minister of National Defence Canada
Alexander Bernard
Senior Managing Director
Cerberus
Lieutenant General Scott Berrier, USA (Ret.)
Former Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
The Honorable Kari Bingen
Director for Aerospace, Center for Strategic and International Studies, former Principal Deputy Undersecretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security
Dan Blumenthal
Senior Fellow,
American Enterprise Institute
Brigadier General Emmanuel Boiteau
Commander of the French Liaison Team and Senior Representative
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Michael Brown
Partner
Shield Capital
Vice Admiral Blake Converse
Deputy Commander
U.S. Pacific Fleet
James Corera
Director,
Cyber, Technology, and Security, Australia Strategic Policy Institute
Ralph Cossa
President Emeritus and WSD-Handa Chair,
Pacific Forum
Brigadier General Patrick Costello, USA
94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command
Major General John Edwards
Director of Global Power Programs, Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics
Senior Undersecretary Irineo Cruz Espino
Senior Undersecretary of National Defense, Department of National Defense of Philippines
Scott Farr
Executive Director,
Business Development, Contested Logistics Solutions, Boeing
General Charles Flynn, USA (Ret.)
Former Commander, U.S. Army Pacific
Heather Fortuna Bush
Senior Vice President
Booz Allen Hamilton
Jeffrey Frankston
Director of Policy, Analysis, and Transition, Office of Industrial Base Policy, Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment
Major General Gavin J. Gardner, USA
Commanding General
8th Theater Sustainment Command, U.S. Army
Marcus Garlauskas
Director, Indo-Pacific Security Initiative, Atlantic Council
Brad Glosserman
Deputy Director of and Visiting Professor, Tama University Center for Rule Making Strategies
Phoebe Greentree
Minister-Counsellor (AUKUS)
Australian Submarine Agency
Nini Hamrick
President
Vannever Labs
Admiral Harry Harris, USN (Ret.)
Former 24th Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Former U.S. Ambassador to South Korea
John Hemmings
Professor,
DKI APCSS College of
Security Studies
Colonel Michael Hlad
C4 Operations Division Chief for Command, Control, Communications and Cyber, (J63),
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Major General Steve Hunter OMM, MSC, MSM, CD
Commander
Canadian Special Operations
Forces Command
Andrea Inserra
Executive Vice President, Booz Allen Hamilton
Aki Jain
CTO & President,
U.S. Government Business,
Palantir
Jakub Janda
Director
European Values Center
for Security Policy
Ambassador Jean-Baptiste Jeangene Vilmer
Ambassador to Vanuatu and Solomon Islands
Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs
Keith Johnson
Director Department of the Defense Solutions Architecture
Amazon Web Services
Cathy Johnston
Vice President, Mission Integration
Peraton
Vice Admiral Justin Jones, AO, CSC
Chief of Joint Operations
Australian Department of Defence
Brigadier General Martine S. Kidd, USA
Director for Logistics
& Engineering (J4)
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Eugene Kim
Chairman
Korea Defense Industry Association
Admiral Stephen T. "Web" Koehler, USN
Commander
U.S. Pacific Fleet
Hiroshi Koyama
Fellow, Defense & Space
Systems Group
Mitsubishi Electric Company
Kimberly Lehn
Senior Director
Pacific Forum
Dr. Tom Mahnken
President & CEO
Center for Strategic & Budgetary Assessments
Whitney McNamara
Senior Vice President
Beacon Global Strategies
Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery, USN
CCTI Senior Director & Senior Fellow
Foundation for Defense Democracies
Ambassador (Ret.) James Moriarty
Former Chairman of the American Institute in Taiwan
Rear Admiral Ian Murray, AM
Head of Australian Defense Staff Washington
Australian Department of Defence
Mark Newton
Minister Defence
British Embassy Washington
David Nockels
First Assistant Secretary for Defence Trade, Regulation, and Industrial Collaboration
Australia Department of Defence
Commodore Peter Olive (Ret.)
Senior Adjunct Fellow
Pacific Forum
Om Prakash
Sector Vice President,
Strategy and Growth,
Northrop Grumman
Lichen Pursley
Director - INDOPACOM RPA Strategy Ops Tactics SME
General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc
Eric Quam
Director, China Strategic
Focus Group
U.S. Indo Pacific Command
Major General Neil R. Richardson, USAF
Deputy Director of Operations (J30)
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Dr. Brad Roberts
Director,
Center for Global Security Research
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
James Rogers
Co-Founder and Director of Research
U.K. Council on Geostrategy
Jedidiah P. Royal
Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for
Indo-Pacific Security Affairs
U.S. Department of Defense
Lieutenant General Joshua Rudd
Deputy Commander
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
Congressman Pat Ryan (D-NY)
Vice-Ranking Member of the
U.S. House Armed Services Committee
Colonel John Sattely (Ret.)
Executive Director for
Contested Logistics
ManTech
Eric Sayers
Board Member
Pacific Forum
The Honorable Michael Schiffer
Former Assistant Administrator for the Bureau for Asia
U.S. Agency for International Development
Brigadier General Henrik Scholz
Chief of the Department for Development, Planning,
and Innovation
German Air Force Headquaters
The Honorable Randall G. Schriver
Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs, Department of Defense
Major General Stefan Schulz
Deputy Head of the
Political Department
German Ministry of Defense
Demetrius Sevastopulo
U.S.-China Correspondent
Financial Times
Robert Stephenson
Director (J8) for Requirements and Resources
U.S. Indo-Pacific Command
The Honorable David Stilwell
Former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asia
U.S. State Department
Sayako Sumomo
Director for International Cooperation
Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics Agency
Japan Ministry of Defence
Tyler Sweatt
Chief Executive Officer
Second Front Systems
Brigadier General (Ret.) Kenneth Todorov
Sector Vice President and General Manager, Global Battle Management and Readiness Division
Northrop Grumman
Former U.S. Deputy Director of the Missile Defense Agency
Dr. Hideto Tomabechi
President and CEO
Cognitive Research Labs, Inc
Dr. Vaidotas Urbelis
Defense Policy Director (Undersecretary for Policy)
Lithuania Ministry of Defense
Major General (Ret.) Suzy Vares-Lum, USA
Director
Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Strategic Studies
Lieutenant General Joel Vowell
Deputy Commanding General
U.S. Army Pacific
Drew Walter
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Nuclear Matters
U.S. Department of Defense
Colonel Dave Washer
Director of Operations
U.S. Space Forces Indo=Pacific
The Honorable Katie Wheelbarger
Vice President
Lockheed Martin
Former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Affairs
Rear Admiral Jeromy Williams
Commander
Special Operations Command Pacific
Tom Wilson
Corporate Vice President
Advanced Programs and Capabilities
Northrop Grumman
Dr. Huntley Wright
Assistant Secretary for
Capability Delivery
New Zealand Ministry of Defence
Brigadier General Michael Zuhlsdorf
Director of Logistics, Engineering, and Force Protection
U.S. Headquarters Pacific Air Forces
Sponsorship Available!
More information on sponsor ship can be found here: Sponsorships
For questions regarding potential sponsorship, please contact
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Dates
February 12-14, 2025
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Location
Waikiki, Hawai'i