About
The Honolulu Defense Forum (HDF) is an annual conference hosted by Pacific Forum International, a non-profit, non-partisan foreign policy institute based in Honolulu, Hawaii. The forum brings together elements of the U.S. Government, defense and technology industry leaders, and allies and partners to connect urgent military readiness needs with concrete capabilities, delivering specific recommendations to close critical Indo-Pacific defense and security gaps.
HDF leverages Hawaii's strategic location and America's partnerships to restore lethality and strengthen deterrence by improving forward force posture, strengthening alliances and partnerships, and rebuilding defense industrial capacity. The forum focuses on results-oriented solutions that accelerate joint capability development, enhance combat-credible forces, and ensure resilience—both to deter threats and secure the Indo-Pacific.
This mission is increasingly urgent as the United States and its allies face mounting operational challenges across the theater.
While our 2026 event has concluded, for any inquiries about our 2027 Honolulu Defense Forum event please contact hdf@pacforum.org or kim@pacforum.org.
2026 objectives
HDF 2026, which took place on January 11-13 2026, focused on "Operationalizing Indo-Pacific Readiness and Deterrence". This forum brought together more than 600 U.S. and allied senior government and industry leaders in Honolulu—the 2026 forum accelerated the shift from planning to execution while strengthening bilateral partnerships and advancing robust regional security frameworks.
HDF 2026 emphasized that today’s security challenges demand integrated solutions, leveraging both economic and military instruments in a coordinated global approach to strategic competition.
HDF 2026 Themes:
- Widening and Improving Credible Deterrence Now
- Networked Architecture: From Concepts to Reality
- Hardening Critical Systems Against Multi-Domain Threats
- Operational Advantage Through Information, AI, and Data
- Partnerships for Innovation and Revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base
CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS
For more highlights and selected session recordings, visit our page here:
thank you to our sponsors
For questions or sponsorship inquiries for HDF 2027, please contact:
Senior Director, Honolulu Defense Forum
Information
Dates
January 11-13, 2026
Contact
Senior Director, Honolulu Defense Forum
Program Manager
Communications & Outreach Manager
Location
Waikiki, Hawai'i