Dr. Jeffrey Ordaniel is non-resident Adjunct Fellow and Director for Maritime Security at the Pacific Forum. Concurrently, he is also Associate Professor of International Security Studies at Tokyo International University (TIU) in Japan. He holds a Ph.D. in International Relations and specializes in the study of offshore territorial and maritime entitlement disputes in Asia. His teaching and research revolve around maritime security and ocean governance, ASEAN regionalism, and broadly, U.S. alliances and engagements in the Indo-Pacific. From 2016 to 2019, he was based in Honolulu and was the holder of the endowed Admiral Joe Vasey Fellowship at the Pacific Forum. His current research on maritime security in Asia is funded by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 2020-2024.

Commodore Jay Tristan Tarriela is currently serving as the Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Human Resource Management (CG-1) and is also the Adviser to the Commandant on Maritime Security Affairs, as well as the Philippine Coast Guard Spokesperson on the West Philippine Sea. He successfully completed his Ph.D. at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) under the GRIPS Global Governance (G-cube) Program in Tokyo as a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) ASEAN Public Policy Leadership scholar. He has participated in various military and coast guard training programs both in his home country and internationally. Dr. Tarriela holds a graduate degree from the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Graduate School and a Master of Policy Studies from GRIPS and the Japan Coast Guard Academy. He was among the first batch of participants in the Maritime Safety and Security Program jointly launched by both institutions in 2016.Furthermore, Dr. Tarriela was selected as part of the inaugural cohort of the 2021 Pacific Forum US-Philippines’ Next Generation Leaders’ Initiative. Additionally, he has been chosen as a fellow for the 2021 East-West Center US-Philippines Alliance Fellowship in Washington, DC, USA. Dr. Tarriela has authored opinion-editorial articles for renowned publications such as The Diplomat, The National Interest, and Analyzing War. He also serves as a visiting lecturer at the National Defense College of the Philippines, the Philippine Public Safety College, Ateneo De Manila University School of Government, and the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy Graduate School.

Ferdinand "Bongbong" Romualdez Marcos Jr. is the 17th and current president of the Philippines. He previously served as a Senator of the Republic, Vice-Governor and Governor of Ilocos Norte, and Representative of the Second District of Ilocos Norte.

Gen. Eduardo Año is a Filipino public official and retired general of the Philippine Army who currently serves as the National Security Adviser under the administration of President Bongbong Marcos since 2023. He previously served as Secretary of the Interior and Local Government in the Cabinet of President Rodrigo Duterte from 2018 to 2022, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from 2016 to 2017, and the Commanding General of the Philippine Army from 2015 to 2016.

Capt. Liu Xiaobo's research focuses on national maritime security policy, sea power and the Law of the Sea. Before joining the Grandview Institution, Capt. Liu had served in PLA Navy for 24 years and had worked as a research fellow in National Institute for South China Sea Studies, Haikou China. Capt. Liu graduated from PLA Dalian Naval Academy, and he got further education in PLA Naval Command College, PLA National Defense University. He completed his master's degree in law at the Law School of Renmin University of China.

Datuk Che Engku Suhaimi bin Che Engku Daik is a senior official in Malaysia’s maritime agency, specifically as the Director of Maritime Affairs for Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan. As the Director of Maritime Affairs for Sabah and the Federal Territory of Labuan, he is responsible for monitoring and managing all aspects of safety and enforcement in the maritime areas of these regions.Che Engku Suhaimi began his career in the public service, specifically in the maritime sector. He joined maritime agencies such as the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and underwent intensive training in maritime fields. He has held various positions within MMEA, including roles requiring expertise in maritime safety oversight, law enforcement, and maritime operations management. He pursued higher education in fields related to maritime management and sea safety. This included obtaining a master’s degree or equivalent in relevant disciplines. His contributions to the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) and the nation are significant in ensuring effective safety, management, and development of the maritime sector in Malaysia. 

VADM Dr. Irvansyah started his career in the Indonesian Navy in 1990 after he graduated from the Indonesian Naval Academy. Further, he was also a graduate of Indonesia's School of Navy Command and Staff. He was firstly placed in Navy Education Command as a Commissioned Officer. He was then assumed the duty as Chief of Indonesian Coast Guard since August 2023.

Education Japan Coast Guard Academy, 1989 Assignments April 2011: Deputy Director, Personnel Div., JCG HQs. April 2014: Yokohama Coast Guard Office April 2015: Chief, Nemuro Coast Guard Office April 2017: Director, Administration Dept., 11th Regional Coast Guard HQs. April 2018: Director, Education and Training Div., JCG HQs. March 2020: Director, Administration Div., Guard and Rescue Dept., JCG HQs. October 2021: Deputy Commander, 3th Regional Coast Guard HQs. April 2022: Superintendent, Coast Guard School July 2023: Director General, Guard and Rescue Department, JCG HQs. July 2024: Vice Commandant for Operations

Dr. Lai Thai Binh is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the Philippines. He served as a Deputy Director-General of the East Sea (South China Sea) Institute (Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam), the Deputy Consul-General of Vietnam in Houston, Deputy Director-General and Assistant Director-General at Americas Department in the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director of the American research division, Director and Deputy Director of the North America division, and as a Vietnam-U.S. relations desk officer. He earned a BA in international economics from Hanoi Foreign Trade University and a Ph.D. in International relations from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam.

Jose Manuel “Babe” del Gallego Romualdez was appointed Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States of America in July 2017 by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, and was reappointed in July 2022 by President Ferdinand Romualdez Marcos, Jr. On 29 November 2017, he presented his credentials to US President Donald J. Trump and formally assumed office as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary. Additionally, as the head of the Philippine Embassy in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Romualdez is concurrently the Philippines’ emissary to the Commonwealth of Jamaica, Republic of Haiti; Republic of Trinidad and Tobago; Antigua and Barbuda; Bahamas; Barbados; Dominica; Saint Kitts and Nevis; Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; and Saint Lucia.Prior to his appointment, Ambassador Romualdez was designated as a special envoy of the Philippine President to the United States. He also served as a member of several Philippine business delegations visiting the United States, China, Japan and New Zealand from 1989 to 2012.

Ambassador Dr. Andreas Michael Pfaffernoschke is Ambassador of Germany to the Philippines

H.E. David Hartman is Ambassador of Canada to the Philippines

Shri Harsh Kumar Jain joined the Indian Foreign Service in September 1993.

Over the course of his diplomatic career, he has served at various positions in the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi and abroad.

He served as India’s Ambassador to Ukraine from 2022-2024, Slovak Republic from 2017-2018, and Kazakhstan from 2014-2017. Prior to this, he served in different capacities at Indian Missions in Moscow (1995-96), Kyiv (1996-98), St. Petersburg (1999-2002), London (2004-07) and Kathmandu (2007-11).

He also served as a Member of the UN Group of Governmental Experts on the Developments in the Field of Information and Telecommunications in the context of International Security during 2012-13.

At headquarters in Delhi, he served as the Head of the BIMSTEC and SAARC Division (2020-21), Global Estate Management Division (2019-20) and e-Governance, Information Technology and Cyber Diplomacy Division (2011-14). He served as desk officer for Afghanistan during 2002-04.

Shri Harsh Kumar Jain holds a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering. He is married to Smt. Vandana Jain and they have a son.

He speaks Hindi, English and Russian.

He joined the Embassy of India in Manila on 02 August 2024.

Deputy Director General Nestor C. Herico is a retired Marines General from the Armed Forces of the Philippines. Shortly after his retirement in 2022, he accepted a new role in the National Security Council as the Deputy Director General for Partnership and Engagement. One of his major designation is being the Vice Chair of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea.

GENERAL EMMANUEL TRINIDAD BAUTISTA (Ret.) was the 44th Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines from January 2013 to July 2014. Shortly after retirement from the military service, he was appointed Undersecretary at the Office of the President, Malacañang from 01 September 2014 to 22 June 2020. As Undersecretary, he served as Executive Director of the Cabinet Cluster for Security, Justice, and Peace and was concurrently the Executive Director of the National Task Force for the West Philippine Sea and Head of the National Task Force on the Whole of Nation Initiative. He was also part of the team that represented the Philippines in the South China Sea arbitration case filed before the Permanent Court of Arbitration at The Hague.Currently, he is a Managing Director at the Ayala Corporation, President of the Hero Foundation and a member of the board of trustees of the Institute for Solidarity in Asia and the Foundation for National Interest. He is also a lecturer at the Development Academy of the Philippines, the National Defense College of the Philippines and the Ateneo School of Government.General Bautista is a graduate of Philippine Military Academy, Class of 1981, and is one of its outstanding alumni awardees; and of the University of the Philippines (U.P.), Diliman where he earned a Masters in Business Administration degree and was a recipient of the U.P. Alumni Association distinguished alumni award for peace and social cohesion.

Retired Rear Admiral YAMAMOTO “Kats” Katsuya, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) joined Sasakawa Peace Foundation in April 2023. RADM Yamamoto graduated from the National Defense Academy and earned a Master of Policy Studies from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies. He also attended the Maritime Law Enforcement Officer Course of the U.S. Coast Guard; the Command & Staff Course of JMSDF; and the Regular Course of the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS), and the PLA National Defense University in Beijing. Offshore, Kats was a surface warfare officer, serving onboard various destroyers and commanding the JS SHIRAYUKI (DD123). Onshore, He also contributed to a variety of positions including Chief of the International Policy Planning Section at the Joint Staff Office. Overseas, Kats served as Defense/Naval Attaché to China and President of the Naval Attaché Corps in Beijing, as International Military Professor of the U.S. Naval War College (USNWC) in Rhode Island. His last mission of the active duty was as Director of Education at NIDS. Kats has been awarded the Ba-Yi Medal from PRC, and the Meritorious Service Medal from the U.S. Navy. Kats is the Advisor of the Japan-America Society of Rhode Island.

Captain Lehto is the first US Coast Guard Attache to the US Embassy in the Philippines. He has previously served at Pacific Area, District 14, Sector New Orleans, and Sector Puget Sound

FADM Eka Satari started his career in the Indonesian Navy in 1994 after he graduated from the Indonesian Naval Academy. He graduated from Royal College of DefenceStudies-London, UK in July 2019, then he appointed as Directing Staff in DSSC - Australian War College since January 2020 - December 2021. Before appointed as DIrector for Cooperation of Indonesian Coast Guard, he was the Ops Staff as SSO for Security and Borders Co-operations.

First Admiral Maritime Datuk Haji MD Fauzi bin Othman is the Director of Maritime Intelligence Division (MIND), Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA). He has held a variety of staff and command assignments, including as the Director of Logistic Section of Maritime District 8 Kuantan, Deputy Director of the Human Resource Branch at MMEA's Headquarters, Senior Assistant Director (Technical) of Supply Branch at Headquarters, Senior Assistant Director (Operation) at Maritime Coordination & Enforcement Center Lumut Perak, Director of Miri Maritime Zone, Director of Development Division Headquarters, and Director of Sultan Ahmad Shah Maritime Academy. He also holds a Degree in Business Management (Marketing) from the Universiti Teknologi Mara, and a Diploma in Marine Technology from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

An alumnus of the National Defence Academy, the Defence Services Staff College, the Naval War College, and the National Defence College, with BSc, MSc and MPhil degrees under his belt, Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, AVSM & Bar, VSM, is currently the Director-General of the National Maritime Foundation, New Delhi, which is India’s foremost resource centre for the development and advocacy of strategies for the promotion and protection of India’s maritime interests.The admiral retired on 30 November 2013 after an illustrious, rich, and varied four-decade-long career in the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy. This included a stint in Antarctica, as also a three-year deputation to the Government of Mauritius, where he set up and commanded the Mauritius National Coast Guard. His sea-going service incorporates as many as four command-appointments. After doing the 42nd NDC, he was the Principal Director of National Operations and thereafter went on to command the Indian Navy’s sole aircraft carrier of that period, the Viraat. As a Rear Admiral, he was the Navy’s first Assistant Chief of the Naval Staff (Foreign Cooperation & Intelligence), where he conceptualised and executed the Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS). As a Vice Admiral, he has been Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command; and was, in his last naval appointment before retirement, the Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy (Ezhimala). He has been commended three times by the President of India for sustained distinguished service. Not one to rest on past laurels, he has remained active even after retirement and is a much sought-after thought-leader and leadership mentor. Apart from being on the visiting faculty of the higher-command establishments of all three of India’s defence services, as also tri-Service establishments such as the College of Defence Management, Hyderabad and the National Defence College, New Delhi, he has also been advising the government through his interaction with the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Navy), the Ministry of External Affairs, and the National Security Council Secretariat. He is, in addition, a prolific writer with over 95 published professional articles and papers, and, a respected Adviser and Fellow of several important think-tanks.

Lt. Cdr. (M) Mohd Sharim bin Zakaria served as an Head of Strategic & Research Branch of Maritime Intelligence Division (MIND) since 2022. He also served as the Head of Operation Branch of MIND in 2018. Before joining the MMEA Headquarters, he served as the Commanding Officer at Maritime Ships in Miri Sarawak, and the operations area includes the Luconia Shoals. He also served as the Senior Investigation Officer and Prosecution Officer during his service in Miri.

Commo. Nelson Timbang is Chief of Coast Guard Staff for Intelligence, Philippine Coast Guard.

Captain Maritime Mohd Shah Rulashari bin Ahmad Omar is currently the Director of Strategic Planning and International Division of MMEA. Prior to that, he was a Principal Assistant Director in Maritime Security and Surveillance Division of MMEA.He holds a Diploma in Technology Management (Maritime Transportation Defence). In 2023 he was awarded Master's Degree in Social Science (Defence Studies) from Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College.

Col. Ryan N. Severo PA (MNSA) is the Assistant Commandant, Special Intelligence Training School. He is a member of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) "Masikhay" Class of 1999. He holds a Master of Military Art and Science from the US Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, US, where he also pursued his General Staff Course. He also holds a Master in National Security Administration from the National Defense College of the Philippines.

Dr. Satu Limaye is Vice President of the East-West Center and the Director of the East-West Center in Washington & Research Program. He created and directs the Asia Matters for America initiative and is the founding editor of the Asia Pacific Bulletin. He is also a Senior Advisor at CNA Corp (Center for Naval Analyses). He is a graduate of Georgetown University and received his doctorate from Oxford University (Magdalen College) where he was a George C. Marshall Scholar. He has also been a Henry R. Luce Scholar (Henry Luce Foundation) and Abe Fellow (Japan Foundation, Social Science Research Council, & American Council of Learned Societies). He publishes and speaks widely on Indo-Pacific regional issues and supports various U.S. government, foundation, fellowship, and professional organizations. He recently served on the Center for New American Security (CNAS) Task Force on the US-Philippines Alliance, United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Senior Study Group on the North Pacific, Project 2049 Study Group on the US-Australia Alliance, and Global Taiwan Institute-Taiwan Asia Exchange Foundation project on Taiwan’s New Southbound Policy. He serves on the Korea Economic Institute (KEI) Advisory Council, editorial board of East Asian Policy (East Asia Institute, National University of Singapore), regional editor of Global Asia

Mr. Marshall Louis Alferez is Assistant Secretary, Maritime and Ocean Affairs Office, Department of Foreign Affairs of the Philippines

Justice Antonio T. Carpio was sworn in as member of the Supreme Court of the Philippines on October 26, 2001. He served in the Supreme Court for 18 years, retiring on October 25, 2019 upon reaching the compulsory retirement age of 70.For his "distinguished and exemplary service" to the Republic, Justice Carpio was awarded in 1998 the Presidential Medal of Merit by then President Fidel Ramos. He was conferred a Doctor of Laws, honoris causa, by the Ateneo de Davao University in 2009, by the University of the Philippines in 2020, and by the Ateneo de Manila University in 2021.On October 29, 2011, as Guest Speaker at the 50th Founding Anniversary of the Ateneo de Davao College of Law, Justice Carpio launched his advocacy to challenge the validity of China’s nine-dashed line before a tribunal under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Ever since, he has been giving lectures all over the country on the invalidity of China’s nine-dashed line.In 2015, the Department of Foreign Affairs sponsored Justice Carpio on a world lecture tour on the West Philippine Sea dispute. Justice Carpio presented the Philippines’ perspective on the dispute before think-tanks and universities in 30 cities covering 17 countries.In May 2017, Justice Carpio published the book titled The South China Sea Dispute: Philippine Sovereign Rights and Jurisdiction in the West Philippine Sea.

Dr. Vu Hai Dang is an Expert at the East Sea (South China Sea) Institute, Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam. Dang holds a SJD in marine environmental law from Dalhousie University and Master in International Trade Law from University of Paris V. His expertise includes international law, law of the sea, international environmental law with a geographical focus on Southeast Asia and the South China Sea. He has a broad experience, having worked in the various fields including the legal service, diplomacy, the civil service, and academia.

Sumathy Permal is a Senior Fellow and Head, Centre for Maritime Security and Diplomacy with the Maritime Institute of Malaysia. Ms. Premal’s research areas are on geo-politic and geo-strategic in the Asia Pacific and maritime security issues in the Indo Pacific. Sumathy Permal is on the editorial board of the Australian Journal of Maritime & Ocean Affairs Australia and Associate Member of the Corbett Centre, King’s College, United Kingdom for Maritime Policy Studies. She is in the Board of Studies (2022-2024) of Faculty of Science Social, University Malaya. She was also the International Expert Panel for National Bureau of Asian Research and the Sasakawa Peace Foundation USA on Maritime Awareness Program, 2016. She is a Professional Fellow On- Demand Exchange Program by the U.S. Department of State for Think-Tank in Asia, and a columnist of New Straits Times.

Ms. Fretti Ganchoon is Senior State Counsel of Department of Justice of the Republic of the Philippines

Bec Strating is the Director of La Trobe Asia and a Professor of International Relations at La Trobe University, Melbourne. She has extensive experience working in the academia-policy-public engagement nexus in the fields of international diplomacy and security. Her research focuses primarily on Asian regional security, maritime disputes, and Australian foreign and defence policy. She is the author of ‘Girt by Sea: reimagining Australia’s Security’ with Professor Joanne Wallis (La Trobe University Press/Black Inc, 2024, forthcoming) and co-editor of 'Blue Security: Maritime Strategies in the Indo-Pacific' (Routledge, 2024, forthcoming). Bec has written three sole-authored books, most recently ‘Defending the Maritime Rules-Based Order’ (2020), co-edited two special journal issues and one book (‘Australia on the World Stage’, 2022), and written multiple journal articles and book chapters, most recently in Q1-ranked journals Contemporary Security Policy, Marine Policy, and Pacific Review. She currently leads the DFAT-funded “Blue Security” network focused on maritime security issues in the Indo-Pacific. She is currently a non-visiting fellow at the Royal Australian Navy’s Seapower Centre, a member of the East West Centre Council on Indo-Pacific Relations, an expert affiliate at the Australian National University’s National Security College, and President of the Women in International Security Australia’s steering committee. She serves on the editorial boards of the Australian Journal of International Affairs and Journal of Maritime and Territorial Studies.

Prof. James Kraska is Charles H. Stockton Chair of International Maritime Law and Department Chair, Stockton Center for International Law at the U.S. Naval War College and Visiting Professor of Law and John Harvey Gregory Lecturer on World Organization at Harvard Law School.

Dr. Sarah Kirchberger is Academic Director at the Institute for Security Policy at Kiel University (ISPK), a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council, and Vice President of the German Maritime Institute (DMI). She was previously Assistant Professor of Sinology at Hamburg University and has served as a naval analyst with shipbuilder TKMS. She is the author of 'Assessing China’s Naval Power: Technological Innovation, Economic Constraints, and Strategic Implications' (Springer, 2015), co-author of 'The China Plan: A Transatlantic Blueprint for Strategic Competition' (Atlantic Council, 2021) and co-editor and contributor of 'Russia-China Relations: Emerging Alliance or Eternal Rivals?' (Springer, 2022). Her research focuses on China’s undersea warfare technologies; PLAN modernization; Chinese defense-industrial development; military-technological co-operation between China, Russia, and Ukraine; EDTs in the maritime sphere; and on the strategic importance of the South China Sea. In 2023, she has testified on Chinese undersea warfare before the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission. Kirchberger studied Sinology in Hamburg, Taipei and Trier and holds a Ph.D. and an M.A. in Sinology from the University of Hamburg.

Lei Xiaolu, is currently a professor of international law in China Institute of Boundary and Ocean Studies (CIBOS), Wuhan University. She obtained her LLM degree in 2009 and PhD Degree in 2012 from Wuhan University specialized in international law. In 2017, she was a visiting scholar at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technology University of Singapore. Her research interest covers the area of pacific dispute settlement mechanisms, especially the peaceful settlement of the South China Sea disputes, China’s maritime law and policy, and the legal issues in the law of the sea and general international law.

CHOE Wongi is a professor in the Department of Indo-Pacific Studies and serves as the Head of the Center for ASEAN–India Studies at the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA). He leads KNDA's research on Southeast Asia, South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific. He received BA and MA in international relations from Seoul National University in Korea and holds PhD in political science from University of Washington in the United States.

Brad Glosserman is Deputy Director of and Visiting Professor at the Center for Rule-making Strategies, Tama University, Tokyo, and Senior Non-Resident Advisor for Pacific Forum, Honolulu. His latest book, with Gilbert Rozman, is "Japan's Rise as a Regional and Global Power, 2013-2023: A Momentous Decade" (Routledge 2024)

Jay L Batongbacal is a lawyer with degrees in Political Science and Law from the University of the Philippines, as well as Master of Marine Management and Doctor in the Science of Law, both from Dalhousie University (Canada). At present, he is a full Professor and chairs the Graduate Studies Program at the University of the Philippines College of Law, while also serving as Director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea of the U.P. Law Center and Chair of the LLM Program Committee. He has worked extensively on maritime affairs since 1997, carrying out research, consultancy work, and teaching, with numerous national and international publications to his credit. Dr. Batongbacal was legal advisor to the Philippines before the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf and the International Maritime Organization. He has been included among the UNESCO/IOC List of Experts for UNCLOS Annex VIII Special Arbitration on Marine Scientific Research. In 2022, Dr. Batongbacal completed a Taiwan Fellowship Program at the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, Taiwan and a Fulbright Advanced Research and Lecturing Fellowship at the US Naval War College in Rhode Island, USA. His current research interests include the Law of the Sea, Aerospace Law, and the Law of Naval Warfare.

Director of the Center for Maritime Strategy Studies and Research Professor of the School of International Studies, Peking University; Director of the South China Sea Strategic Situation Probing Initiative (SCSPI). He got Ph.D. in International Relations and His areas of specialization include maritime strategy, international security, and the South China Sea issues.

Dr Do Thanh Hai is currently Senior Fellow and Deputy Director General of the East Sea Institute at the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam (DAV). He previously served as Minister Counsellor and Deputy Chief of Mission at the Embassy of Vietnam in India, vacation scholar at the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defense Force Academy in Canberra, and Deputy Director of the Centre for Political and Security Studies of the DAV's Institute for Foreign Policy and Strategic Studies in Hanoi. He obtained his doctorate from the Australian National University and his master’s degree from Erasmus Mundus Global Studies Program.He also published on The East Asia Policy, The Journal for Contemporary East Asia Studies, The Pacific Review, The Maritime Affairs, The ASAN Forum, CSIS PacNet, Journal of International Review (DAV) and a few international news outlets. He is the author of the book titled Vietnam and the South China Sea: Politics, Security and Legality and published by Routledge in 2017. His latest books, both of which are co-edited with Prof. Leszek Buszynski, are The South China Sea: From Regional Maritime Dispute to Geostrategic Competition published by Routledge in 2019 and Maritime Issues and Regional Order in Indo-Pacific published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2021.

Frega Wenas Inkiriwang is an Associate Professor at the Republic of Indonesia Defense University and the Indonesian Army Command and General Staff College. He holds a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE). He has earned his Fellow of Higher Education Academy (FHEA) from the UK Higher Education Academy. He has also published numerous books and articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Ray Powell is the Founder and Director of SeaLight, a maritime transparency project of the Gordian Knot Center for National Security Innovation at Stanford University in California.Ray served for 35 years in the U.S. Air Force, including posts in the Philippines, Japan, Germany, and Qatar, as well as combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He commanded the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard from 2009-11. He also served three tours in the Pentagon; as the U.S. Air Attaché to Vietnam (2013-16); and as the U.S. Senior Defense Official and Defense Attaché to Australia (2017-20).Ray was a 2021 Fellow at Stanford’s Distinguished Careers Institute, and co-hosts the “Why Should We Care About the Indo-Pacific?” podcast.

Laura Del Rosario is currently the 9th President of Miriam College, former Undersecretary of Economic Affairs at DFA Manila, former Ambassador to India and Vietnam, former APEC senior official and Chair in 2015.

Since he founded The Stratbase Group in 2004, Prof. Victor Andres "Dindo" Manhit has provided top-level strategic analysis and thought leadership on global issues in the Philippines.He is the President of Stratbase Institute, an independent, international think tank based in the Philippines. In the age of geopolitical uncertainties and technological advancements, Stratbase ADR Institute gives equal importance to the interdependent nature of states, sectors, and stakeholders for its strategic analyses and policy initiatives in a multi-polar world.As a public policy analyst and geo-strategist, he thinks beyond politics for his political risk assessment that is also data-driven. With his extensive experience in legislation and policy making including serving as Undersecretary of the Department of Education, Deputy Secretary of the Philippine Senate and being Chief of Staff of a Senate President, he continues to help Stratbase’s clients and partners understand the interplay between business and government and the impact of legislative, regulatory, and geo-politics on their strategic initiatives.Professor Manhit obtained his Master’s Degree in Public Administration and Bachelor’s Degree in Philippine Studies (Major in Political Science and History) from the University of the Philippines. A member of Phi Gamma Mu International Honors Society Beta Chapter.

Dr. Bich Tran (pronounced as Bic Trahn) is a postdoctoral fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, an adjunct fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and a fellow at the 2024 International Strategy Forum. Her research interests include Vietnam’s grand strategy, Southeast Asian states’ relations with major powers, and issues at the intersection between geopolitics and technology.

Jonathan E. Malaya is a Filipino writer, author, businessman, and public official who is currently the Assistant Director General of the National Security Council. He is also the Executive Director of the PDP Laban Federalism Institute, a political think tank established by Senate President Koko Pimentel. He also served as Assistant Secretary in the Office of the President of the Philippines, and Assistant Secretary for Special Projects and Legislative Liaison in the Department of Education of the Philippines.Malaya is a former writer of opinion column in Philippine newspapers Remate and Remate Express, and has edited several publications including Liberal Philippines magazine and Bagong Pasay Ngayon.

Ms. Nguyen Phuong Thao is a PhD candidate at Osaka School of International Public Policy, Osaka University. She holds a Master of Arts from Osaka Jogakuin University. Her research interests include influence operations, China's foreign policy, and geopolitical tensions in South China Sea.

Prof. Patalano is Professor of War and Strategy in East Asia at King's College London. His area of expertise encompasses Japanese military history and maritime security in the China Seas. His latest volume, edited with James Russell and Catherine Grant, is titled the New Age of Naval Power in the Indo-Pacific: Strategy, Order, and Regional Security (Georgetown University Press, 2023).

Brahma Chellaney is a geostrategist, scholar, author and commentator. He is Professor of Strategic Studies at the Center for Policy Research in New Delhi; a Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow of the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin; and an affiliate with the International Centre for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College London. He has served as a member of the Policy Advisory Group headed by the foreign minister of India. Before that, he was an adviser to India’s National Security Council, serving as convener of the External Security Group of the National Security Advisory Board.He has held appointments at Harvard University, the Brookings Institution, the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University, and the Australian National University. He has also been a fellow at the Nobel Institute in Oslo and at The Transatlantic Academy in Washington, DC.

Gregory B. Poling directs the Southeast Asia Program and Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, where he is also a senior fellow. He is a leading expert on the South China Sea disputes and conducts research on U.S. alliances and partnerships, democratization and governance in Southeast Asia, and maritime security across the Indo-Pacific.He is the author of On Dangerous Ground: America’s Century in the South China Sea, along with various works on U.S. relations with Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam, and Southeast Asia at large. His writings have been featured in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Wall Street Journal, and the Naval War College Review, among others. Mr. Poling received an MA in international affairs from American University and a BA in history and philosophy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.

Jennifer Parker is an Expert Associate at the National Security College, Australian National University and an Adjunct Fellow in naval studies at the University of New South Wales Canberra. Jennifer also holds the position of Nancy Bentley Associate Fellow in Indo-Pacific Maritime Affairs at the Council on Geostrategy.

Jennifer hosts and produces the weekly Maritime Matters podcast the Australian Naval Institute's Saltwater Strategists podcast focused on Indo-Pacific maritime affairs.

Jennifer served for more than 20 years with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN). During her time in the RAN Jennifer specialised as a Principal Warfare Officer, including undertaking deep specialist training with the Royal Navy in Anti-Submarine Warfare Officer. Jennifer has extensive operational experience from the Middle East to the Caribbean, and most areas in between.

Captain Kentaro Furuya (JCG) is an adjunct professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS), a visiting professor at Keio University, and a professor at the Japan Coast Guard Academy. His career spans the realm of Coast Guard service, where he has dedicated himself to ensuring maritime safety and security both at sea and the development of policies onshore. Presently, he has been entrusted with the responsibility of being a faculty member in the Maritime Safety and Security Policy Program at GRIPS. Captain Furuya is responsible for instructing students in matters pertaining to the law of the sea, maritime security, and the formulation of Coast Guard operations.

RADM Ong (Ret.) is currently Professor of Praxis and Senior Research Fellow at the Ateneo School of Government. He was formerly the Vice Commander of the Philippine Navy until his retirement in 2019. He is a graduate of the Philippine Military Academy in 1987 and took his Master's in Development Management at the Asian Institute of Management in 1996.

Carl Baker is executive director at Pacific Forum. Over the past 30 years he has been a regular participant in a variety of security-related regional forums and has written extensively on preventive diplomacy, multilateral security architecture, nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and nuclear security.Previously, he was on the faculty at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies and an adjunct professor at Hawaii Pacific University. A graduate of the U.S. Air War College, he also holds an M.A. in public administration from the University of Oklahoma and a B.A. in anthropology from the University of Iowa.

John F. Bradford is the Executive Director and Founding President of the Yokosuka Council on Asia-Pacific Studies (YCAPS). He is also an adjunct senior fellow in the Maritime Security Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. His research focuses on Asian security with special attention given to maritime heritage and security cooperation.Prior to becoming a full-time researcher, he spent more than twenty-three years as a U.S. Navy officer. As a Surface Warfare Officer, he served as Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Combat Systems Officer, Chief Engineer, Navigator, and First Lieutenant in ships forward-deployed to Japan. His staff assignments included service as Deputy Director for the U.S. Seventh Fleet Maritime Headquarters, as Regional Cooperation Coordinator for the U.S. Seventh Fleet, as Country Director for Japan in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and Asia-Pacific Politico-military Branch Chief on the Navy Staff.John holds a PhD from King's College London. As an Olmsted Scholar, CDR Bradford studied in the Department of Political Science at Gadjah Mada University in Indonesia and completed an MSc (Strategic Studies) from RSIS. He is also a graduate of Japan’s National Institute of Defense Studies and is proud of the training he received as a midshipman aboard the Royal Malaysian Navy ship KD Rahmat.

Daniela Braun is the KAS Country Director Philippines since May 2023. In this capacity, she oversees the programs of KAS’ oldest office in Asia. Previously, Daniela worked as Policy Advisor for International Politics and Security Affairs at the Division Analysis and Consulting of Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung in Berlin. Before KAS, Daniela held different positions at the German Council on Foreign Relations, the German Bundestag and the Berlin Office of the German Marshall Fund.She holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of Bonn and M.A. from the Freie University Berlin. She also studied in Warsaw, Poland, at the American University in Washington D.C. and as a Fox International Scholar at Yale University in New Haven.

Dr. Alexander L. Vuving came to the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in 2008 from Tulane University, where he taught courses on International Relations, International Security, China and the World, and a field seminar in International Politics. Prior to Tulane, Dr. Vuving was a Post-doctoral Fellow and an Associate of Harvard University’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Kennedy School of Government. He was also a Visiting Research Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore. Dr. Vuving’s research interests focus on the Evolution of Power Politics, including great power competition and the grand strategies of major powers; Soft Power, including its nature, mechanisms, and sources; and the longer History of Human Power, including its physical and biological roots, its coercive, structural, transactional, and attractive ways, and its game-changers—the state and the scientific revolution. With regard to contemporary issues, his major areas of research include the rise of China, Chinese strategy, regional security architecture, the struggle between a rules-based and a hierarchical international order, conflict resolution in the gray zone, Vietnamese politics and foreign policy, and the South China Sea. Dr. Vuving uses a multidisciplinary approach to his research, ranging from game theory and evolutionary biology to economics, anthropology, psychology, sociology, and political science. He has published in major academic journals and global affairs magazines and presented at leading universities and think tanks around the world. Numerous media outlets, including the New York Times, the Financial Times, the Associated Press, and Bloomberg, among others, have featured and quoted his views. Dr. Vuving serves on the Editorial Board of the academic journals Asian Politics and Policy and Global Discourse. He is a referee for Oxford University Press, International Security, and Asian Security, among others. He was the guest editor of a special issue on “How China’s Rise is Changing Asia’s Landscape and Seascape” for Asian Politics and Policy.

Collin Koh is senior fellow at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, based in Singapore. He focuses on maritime security and naval affairs in Southeast Asia, including the South China Sea disputes.

Dr. Aaron Jed Rabena is Professorial Lecturer at the Asian Center in the University of the Philippines Diliman. His areas of interests include Strategic Studies, Greater East Asian Geopolitics and Multilateral Politics, Political Risk, Maritime Security, and Chinese Politics and Foreign Policy.

Dr. Annette Bradford is a Japan Foundation Indo-Pacific Partnership Program Fellow researching the implementation of maritime security capacity-building activities. Annette also consults for Oxford EMI, a leading consultancy and training organization for higher education internationalization and English-medium Instruction (EMI) teacher professional development.Annette holds an EdD in Educational Administration and Policy Studies from the George Washington University, an MA in Linguistics from the University of Surrey, and a BA in Modern Languages from the University of East Anglia.

Ms. Atsuko Kanehara is the Research Director for the Canon Institute for International Studies and Senior Fellow for the Sasakawa Peace Foundation.  She was former Professor of International Law at Sophia University and former President of the Japanese Society of International Law.Member of the Governing Board of IMO International Maritime Law Institute.Concurrently, she is Policy Adviser for the Japan Coast Guard and member of the Committee on Submarine Cables and Pipelines under the International Law Association.She delivered lectures at The Hague Academy of International Law in 2017, entitled “Reassessment of the Acts of the State in the Law of State Responsibility―A Proposal of an Integrative Theoretical Flamework of the Law of State Responsibility to Effectively Cope with the Internationally Harmful Acts of Non-State Actors,” which was published in Recueils des cours, Vol. 399 (2019).Her principal recent publications in English are: “How to Ensure the Safety of the Japan Coast Guard While Maintaining Its Nature as A Police Organ When It Conducts Missions In Collaboration with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force under the Control Guidelines,” Japan Review, Vol 6, No. 2 (2024); “Refining Japan’s Integrative Position on the Territorial Sovereignty of the Senkaku Islands,” International Law Studies, Vol. 97 (2021); ”The Use of Force in Maritime Security and the Use of Arms in Law Enforcement under the Current Wide Understanding of Maritime Security,” Japan Review, Vol. 3, No. 2 (2019).

Benjamin Blandin is the network coordinator of the Yokosuka Council for Asia-Pacific Studies.In addition, Benjamin Blandin is pursuing a PhD in geopolitics at the Paris Catholic University with a thesis focusing on Asymmetric warfare in the South China Sea.

Mr. Chris Gardiner is the CEO of The Institute for Regional Security, Canberra, Australia. Chris coordinates The Institute's dialogue initiatives, directs its Future Strategic Leaders Program, and manages its journal Security Challenges. Chris holds postgraduate qualifications in international relations, in ethics, in management and leadership, and in Buddhist studies.

Dr Curie Maharani is currently a lecturer for the streaming of Security Studies at Binus University and the Executive Director of the Indo-Pacific Strategic Intelligence (ISI Indonesia), a newly founded think tank with a focus on foreign policy and defence issues. She received her PhD in Defence and Security from Cranfield University in 2016. Previously, she received cum laude in her master’s study at Institut Teknologi Bandung, majoring in Defence Management, in 2017, and her bachelor’s degree at Universitas Indonesia, majoring in International Relations, in 2002. Prior to joining Binus, Curie had worked with the National Committee for Economy and Industry (KEIN), the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Indonesia, National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), as well as S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies. She is an observer of defence procurement and industrial policy (offset), defence diplomacy, and maritime security issues. She was part of the Southeast Asian Young Leaders' Program at the Shangri-La Dialogue in 2017 and 2018. She has published in journals such as Defence and Peace Economics, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Political Geography, and Marine Policy.

Dana Lee recently completed a bachelor’s degree in International Relations in Japan and is currently working as an intern at the Asia-Europe Foundation;Over the past years, Dana has been leading numerous projects advocating for peace and women’s empowerment in Asia, including research on peace and security in Southeast Asia, women's involvement in politics, global diplomacy, and state engagement in conflicts.As the youngest research fellow at the Next Generation EU-ASEAN Think Tank, Dana worked from 2021 to 2023 in the security cluster, providing policy recommendations. Additionally, Dana has been selected to participate as a youth delegate at the UNGA Science Summit 79 and was invited as a youth speaker or delegate to numerous international conferences over the past years, focusing on peace, security, and diplomacy across Asia, Europe, and America.In addition, Dana has received "Honorable Mention Delegate" awards from previous international conferences and was honored by the Cambodian Ministry of Education as the nation's top outstanding student.

Mr. Don McLain Gill is a geopolitical analyst, author, and lecturer at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University, Manila. He is also a non-resident fellow at the Stratbase ADR Institute, a visiting senior fellow at the Impact and Policy Research Institute (IMPRI), and a non-resident fellow at the USANAS Foundation. He specializes in Philippine foreign policy, Indo-Pacific geopolitics, and India-Southeast Asia security relations. He has written several books, book chapters, peer-reviewed international journal articles, newspaper columns, and commentaries for renowned international affairs publishers. He is also regularly invited as reviewer by various scopus-indexed journals on international security. He attained his Masters of Arts (MA) with Distinction in International Relations at Oxford Brookes University, United Kingdom.

Georgi Engelbrecht is a Senior Analyst with Crisis Group covering issues related to internal security in the Philippines such as the Mindanao peace process as well as the South China Sea disputes and maritime security in the Sulu Sea.

I obtained my Bachelor's degree in International Laws at the Diplomatic Academy of Viet Nam in 2014 and Master of Laws at the University of Ottawa, CanadaI have been working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for 8 years and I am currently the secretary to Ambassador Lai Thai Binh of Viet Nam

A former U.S. diplomat, Hank serves as Executive Director of the U.S.-Philippines Society, which he helped launch in 2012. Hank graduated from Bucknell and holds a Master's degree from Georgetown's School of Foreign Service. He served four years as an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Dr. Arsana is the Head of Master of Geomatics Engineering at the Department of Geodetic Engineering, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia. He has been focusing his research on geospatial aspects of the law of the sea, particularly maritime boundary delimitation. He is an expert member of the technical team of the Indonesian Delegate on Maritime Boundary Delimitation with neighboring countries. His last assignment was as a panelist of the Indonesian Presidential Candidate Debate of 2024.

Ms. Jacqueline Espenilla is an Assistant Professor at the University of the Philippines College of Law. She concurrently serves as a Senior Fellow of the University of the Philippines Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea, as well as the Chairperson of the International Law Department of the Philippine Judicial Academy. Prior to her current appointments, she was a senior attorney at the Philippine Department of Justice and a legal consultant at the Asian Development Bank Office of the General Counsel. Ms. Espenilla received her LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School, and her JD and BA degrees from the University of the Philippines. She is currently a PhD candidate at the Utrecht University School of Law.

Jerome Jogno is a program manager at Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines. He manages the foundation's youth empowerment portfolio, social media accounts, and website. He has ten years of experience building partnerships and orchestrating impactful conferences and events. He holds a master's degree in Philippine Studies, specializing in Philippine Development Studies from the University of the Philippines Diliman and a bachelor's degree in Consular and Diplomatic Affairs from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, where he excelled as a scholar, graduating with honors.

Ms. Karla Mae G. Pabeliña is an Associate Fellow of the Asia-Pacific Leadership Network (APLN), and Lecturer at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Education: Graduated from Ritsumeikan University, March 2014(B.A.)Graduated from Ritsumeikan University, March 2016(M.A.)Employment history: Since 2024, Japan Coast Guard

Dr. Mateusz Chatys is a senior specialist at the Centre for Asian Affairs at the University of Lodz in Poland. His work centers on Sino-American rivalry in Southeast Asia, with a particular focus on the South China Sea disputes. His doctoral dissertation explored the patron-client concept in China's peripheral diplomacy, using China's relations with Vietnam, Malaysia, and the Philippines as case studies. Currently, his research analyzes China's gray zone operations and the responses of other claimant states, especially the Philippines, since Rodrigo Duterte's presidency.

Matteo Piasentini is a Senior Lecturer at the Department of Political Science, University of the Philippines Diliman, where he's also pursuing his doctoral studies in Political Science and International Relations. He holds a Master’s degree in Law at the University of Padua (Italy) with a specialization in International Law. He is a former Official at the Italian Ministry of Defense, currently residing in Manila. He is also an analyst of the China and Indo-Pacific desk at Geopolitica, an Italian think-tank.His primary research interests encompass Philippine foreign Policy, Indo-Pacific minilateral agreements, analysis of military cooperation agreements and arms transfers.

Patrick Zoll is a correspondent for the Swiss daily Neue Zurcher Zeitung (NZZ). Based in Taipei, he covers geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific, particularly the rivalry between the United States and China. Patrick has worked for the NZZ in Tokyo, Sydney and Zurich for more than a decade. He studied international relations at the Geneva Graduate Institute in Switzerland and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in Russia. He has worked in the media, corporate communications and the United Nations.

Dr Peter K. Lee is a Non-Resident Fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre at the University of Sydney. He is currently a research fellow in the Center for Regional Studies at the Asan Institute for Policy Studies, a think tank based in Seoul, Korea. His recent publications cover US foreign and defence policy, Australia-Korea relations, AUKUS, and Korean security.Previously, Dr Lee was a research fellow in the Foreign Policy and Defence Program at the United States Studies Centre and also a Korea Foundation research fellow at the University of Melbourne. Dr Lee received his PhD in strategic studies from the Australian National University, and his Master of International Relations and a Bachelor of Arts with First Class Honours in political science from the University of Melbourne.

Peter Leavy recently retired from the Royal Australian Navy where he was a surface warfare officer. He commanded two warships, HMAS Stuart and HMAS Sydney, and was Australia's naval attache to the USA. He is currently the President of the Australian Naval Institute and is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University where he is researching contemporary maritime stratPeter Leavy recently retired from the Royal Australian Navy where he was a surface warfare officer. He commanded two warships, HMAS Stuart and HMAS Sydney, and was Australia's naval attache to the USA. He is currently the President of the Australian Naval Institute and is a PhD candidate at the Australian National University where he is researching contemporary maritime strategy for medium powers.egy for medium powers.

Renato Cruz De Castro is a distinguished professor at the Department of International Studies, De La Salle University, Manila, and holds the Dr. Aurelio Calderon Chair in Philippines-American Relations. He is an adjunct faculty at the National Defense College of the Philippines (NDCP), where he handles the module International Security Studies. (ISS). He was a visiting fellow at the National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) of the Japanese Ministry of Defense in the summer of 2018. He was a visiting researcher at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) from June to August 2017. From September to December 2016, he was based in the East-West Center in Washington D.C. as the U.S.-ASEAN Fulbright Initiative Researcher from the Philippines. He is an alumnus of the Daniel Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DIAPCSS) in Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.A. In 2009, he became the U.S. State Department ASEAN Research Fellow from the Philippines and was based in the Political Science Department of Arizona State University.

Dr. Robin Michael U. Garcia is a political scientist, professor, and public affairs adviser who has advised companies, electoral aspirants, governments, and international organizations. He frequently speaks in conferences and universities, most recently at the Fredrick Pardee School of Global Studies at Boston University and at the University of Pennsylvania.He is a 2023-24 Visiting Scholar at the Perry World House at the University of Pennsylvania.He is also the President & CEO of WR Advisory Group, a public affairs firm which specializes in data, strategy, and communications. Concurrently he is the Founder and Chairman of its opinion research subsidiary, WR Numero Research. He is an Assistant Professor at the Political Economy Program of the University of Asia & the Pacific (UA&P) in Manila. Recently, he was a member of the 24-person policy research group convened by Speaker Martin Romualdez at the House of Representatives of the Philippines where he advises on foreign policy. He was named an Eisenhower Global Fellow for 2023 where he focused on geopolitical risk, data and research technology, communications and political campaigns.He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in International Politics from Fudan University in Shanghai where he was distinguished with the Dean’s Award for Academic Excellence in 2017.He obtained a Master of Public Administration from the University of the Philippines’ National College of Public Administration and Governance (UP-NCPAG), and a BA in Development Studies from De La Salle University where he was awarded the Gawad Magaaral Award (Distinguished Student Award) for competitive parliamentary debating.

Dr. Rosalie Arcala Hall is Professor of Political Science at University of the Philippines Visayas, and current Executive Director of the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative and Development Studies (UP CIDS). She earned her Masters and PhD from Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA on a Fulbright-Hayes scholarship. She was involved in research projects on civil-military relations, security, and maritime governance with grants from University of the Philippines, Konrad Adenauer Stiftung-Philippines, The Asia Foundation, The Nippon Foundation, and Toyota Foundation. Her publications appear in Philippine Political Science Journal, Asian Security, and Journal of International Peacekeeping. Her latest work include edited/co-edited volumes Lockdown and Lowdown: The Politics of COVID-19 Pandemic Response in the Philippines (Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2023), Pathways for Irregular Forces in Southeast Asia (Routledge, 2022), and Military Operation and Engagement in the Domestic Jurisdiction (Brill, 2022). She is a member of the Philippine Commission on Higher Education Technical Panel for Political Science and past President of the Philippine Political Science Association.

Prof Dr Salawati held LLB, LLM and PhD from the National University of Malaysia (UKM). Her research focuses on globalisation and regional security, international law and development in Southeast Asia, maritime security, South China Sea conflict and defence policy. She currently teaches Comparative Foreign Policy and Defence Policy at the Malaysian Armed Forces Defence College (MAFDC) and Global Security at the Royal Malaysia Police College.

Sophie Wushuang Yi, PhD in International Relations, Lau China Institute, King's College London; Research Fellow, Marine Studies Center, Grandview Institution.

Ms. Sophiya Navarro is the Program Manager for Security and Innovation at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines.She is the editor of several KAS publications and has authored articles for KAS, Rappler, the Ateneo de Manila University - School of Government (ASOG), and 9DashLine, covering various topics on security and governance.Sophiya holds a Bachelor’s degree in Diplomacy and International Relations with a specialization in East and Southeast Asian Studies, as well as a Minor in Literature (English) from the Ateneo de Manila University, where she graduated with honors in 2018 under a full scholarship.

Mr. Thomas Daniel is a senior fellow in the Foreign Policy and Security Studies programme. His interests lie in the strategic-security challenges of Southeast Asia, including the impacts of major power dynamics on ASEAN. He looks mainly at South China Sea dispute, political-security cohesion within ASEAN and Malaysia’s security and foreign policies. Thomas also focuses on government policies toward refugees, asylum seekers and other displaced people in Malaysia as well as the impacts of the crisis on Myanmar to the region. He is a member of the Malaysia Study Group on Myanmar, convened by the University of Malaya. He comments on these issues in local, regional & international forums and media.

Ms. Tonette de Jesus is the Senior Program Manager for Governance and Foreign Relations at the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung (KAS) Philippines. Prior to her work at KAS, she was a Political Economy Consultant for the Philippine Governance Advisory Team at the World Bank Office in the Philippines, Program Manager for the Asian Development Bank-Asian Institute of Management Knowledge Hub, and Research Officer at the International Rice Research Institute. She has authored chapters for and edited international and regional security publications. Her opinion pieces as an international development practitioner have been featured in Rappler and the 9DashLine. After earning her bachelor’s degree in Management Economics (Merit Scholar) from the Ateneo de Manila University and a brief stint in the corporate world, Tonette pursued her master’s degree in International Political Economy and Development, specializing in International and Development Economics, from Fordham University, where she received the Matteo Ricci Award for Outstanding Scholastic Achievement.

Dr. Van T. Pham initiated the founding and manages the South China Sea Chronicle Initiative (SCSCI), a groundbreaking non-profit, non-governmental research initiative in Vietnam that is dedicated to promoting a facts-based and comprehensive understanding of the South China Sea disputes. The SCSCI has been striving for innovation in Vietnam, including the first Vietnam-based study led by Pham since 2019 to utilise technology for systematically tracking and promoting transparency of activities at sea. Their efforts have been featured on various expert platforms, research publications and media worldwide. The SCSCI continues to advocate for maritime transparency, fact-based understanding and rules-based collaborative solutions.Dr. Pham holds a Ph.D in natural science from Technische Universität Braunschweig in Germany. She is the author or co-author of several book chapters and articles in major newspapers, focusing on legal aspects and developments of the South China Sea disputes.

Dr. Zhong Yanhui holds Ph.D.degree on International Law and M.A. degree on Political Sciences of Wuhan University. Visiting Scholar of Asian Center, University of the Philippines. She is the associate editor-in-chief, Southeast Asian Review (Bi-annual academic journal co-published by South China Normal University and Social Sciences Academic Press, China). Her research area mainly focuses on economic diplomacy, international relations in Southeast Asia, national security issues.

Yohanes Sulaiman is an associate professor in international relations at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani (UNJANI), Indonesia and a non-resident fellow at the National Bureau of Asian Research, Seattle, WA. He holds Ph.D. in Political Science from the Ohio State University. His research interest is in foreign policy, security, diplomatic history, and strategic culture in East/Southeast Asia.His latest publication is "A Traumatic Relationship: The United States and Indonesia-Russian Relationship," published in the Journal of Asian Security and International Affairs, Vol. 11, Issue 2, June 10, 2024.

Yusuke Takagi is an Associate Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Tokyo, Japan. He received the Doctor of Science of Law from Keio University. Before joining GRIPS, he worked at De La Salle University—Manila and the Embassy of Japan in the Philippines. He teaches graduate courses in political science, focusing on Southeast Asian countries and other emerging countries. He is now currently serving as the Director of the Maritime Safety and Security Program, GRIPS.

Alynna Carlos is the Communications Branch Chief of the Presidential Office for Maritime Concerns. In her current role, she also works with the National Maritime Council of the Philippines.

Aristyo R. Darmawan is a lecturer in international law at the Faculty of Law Universitas Indonesia and a former Visiting Fellow with the S. RajaratnamSchool of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University. Currently he is a Ph.D Scholar at the School of Regulation and Global Governanceat the Australian National University. He obtained his Master’s Degree from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. His researchfocuses on the intersection between international law of the sea, foreign policy and maritime security in the Asia Pacific.

Astha Chadha is an Associate Professor of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University in Kyoto, and an invited lecturer at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University, Beppu. She is currently the Communications Officer at Religion and IR Section (REL) of International Studies Association (ISA), Researcher at Democracy Promotion Center, Beppu and Women Peace and Security (WPS) Fellow at Pacific Forum, Hawaii. She publishes on India-Japan relations, South Asian security, Indo-Pacific affairs, and religion in world politics. She is the author of Faith and Politics in South Asia (Routledge, 2025, Forthcoming).

Attawat Joseph Ma Assavanadda is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong and Young Leader at Pacific Forum. Attawat researches International Relations and Security of East Asia. His ongoing PhD project scrutinizes Thai people’s reception of China’s public diplomacy messages using a mixture of field research, survey experiments, and in-depth interview methods. Prior to doctoral training, Attawat obtained a Master of Arts in International Relations (International Security specialization) from Waseda University with the Japanese Government “MEXT” scholarship and a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Chulalongkorn University. Professionally, Attawat previously worked as a political analyst at Government House of Thailand, a research assistant at Chulalongkorn University’s Institute of Asian Studies and the German-Southeast Asian Centre of Excellence for Public Policy and Good Governance (CPG), and a research intern at the University of New South Wales. Attawat speaks Thai, English, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), and basic Japanese.

Deryk Matthew N. Baladjay is Lecturer at the Department of International Studies at the De La Salle University-Manila. He is also a member of the Young Leaders cohort at the Pacific Forum. He is also a consultant for Amador Research Services, a Manila-based research firm and Assistant Editor for FACTS Asia. He specializes in East and Southeast Asian affairs, PH-US alliance, Philippine foreign policy, and strategic studies. He is involved in two major projects 1) on China’s Digital Silk Road in the Philippines in a research partnership between Ateneo Policy Center and the Peace Research Institute Oslo and 2) on the Philippines’ critical infrastructure vulnerabilities through a research grant by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies.

Japhet Quitzon is an associate fellow with the Southeast Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). His research interests include disinformation as it affects international democratic institutions, the intersection of trade and digital privacy, and the evolving role of the Philippines in Indo-Pacific security. His work has featured in The Diplomat, Asia Global Online, and Cambridge University Press, and he is a young leader with the Pacific Forum. Before joining CSIS, he was a research assistant with Dr. Sophal Ear at Occidental College. He received his bachelor's degree in international relations with a minor in East Asian studies from Connecticut College.

Jeff Otto coordinates Pacific Forum’s Young Leaders Program and next-gen engagements. He is an alumnus of the Master’s in Asian International Affairs (MAIA) program at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM). Prior to joining Pacific Forum, Jeff was a Research Fellow at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI-APCSS).

Mr. Joshua Bernard B. Espeña is a Young Leader at Pacific Forum, a lecturer at the Department of Political Science and International Studies at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines, and Vice President of the Manila-based think tank, International Development and Security Cooperation (IDSC). He formerly served as a defense analyst at the Office for Strategic Studies and Strategy Management, Armed Forces of the Philippines. He finished his Bachelor of Arts (Cum Laude) in International Studies at the University of the East, Manila, and is a candidate for the degree of Master in International Studies at the University of the Philippines, with his thesis focusing on naval diplomacy as a means of states to have other states recognize them as "order contributors." His research interests are naval diplomacy and statecraft, Philippine strategic affairs and defense policy, middle power politics and grand strategy, and the future of warfare and wargaming. His works and interviews appeared in The Diplomat, The Interpreter, South China Morning Post, Inquirer, Rappler, Business World Philippines, Pacific Forum, Global Taiwan Institute, 9DashLine, Voice of America, East Asia Forum, Policy Forum, and Arab News, among others.

Atty. Josiah Patrick P. Bagayas is an associate law professor at the Mariano Marcos State University located in Batac City, Ilocos Norte where he teaches constitutional law, philosophy of law, and environmental law. Concurrently, he is the chief of the university's Center for Legal Aid, Research, and Advocacy. He obtained his bachelor's degree in public administration and Juris Doctor degree from the University of the Philippines Diliman. He is currently pursuing a master's degree in political science specializing in comparative politics at the same university. At present, he is a pro bono legal volunteer of Justice Without Borders, a legal NGO rendering assistance to distressed workers in Hong Kong and Singapore. His research interests are democratization, populism, international humanitarian and human rights law, and security studies.

Kar Lok Pang is a public communications generalist in the Singapore government's Information Service. He has worked in media analytics and sensing for the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, and is currently curating online communications in the Prime Minister's Office. As an ASEAN young professional, Kar Lok is passionate about contributing towards a rebalancing of how US-China relations come to bear on the region.

Ms. Kie Kang is a PhD student in Graduate Schools for Law and Politics and Faculty of Law, University of Tokyo. She had a M.A. in Graduate School of Public Policy at University of Tokyo. Previously, she was selected as an Asan Young Fellow in the Asan Academy, which was a special fellowship program to train future leaders of Korea with an understanding of humanities and knowledge across various disciplines run by Asan Institute for Policy Studies and the Asan Nanum Foundation. Through this fellowship, she was an intern at Hudson Institute, focused on the trilateral relations among the U.S.-Japan-Republic of Korea. Prior to joining Hudson Institute and Asan Academy, she joined and focused on East Asian security as an intern at Asia Pacific Initiative, which is a Tokyo-based think-tank. Ms. Kang completed her B.A. in international politics at Keio University.

Probationary Second Lieutenant Mico A. Galang is an officer in the Corps of Professors, Armed Forces of the Philippines. He is the Head, Training, Research, and Doctrine Department, Special Intelligence Training School. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from UST, where is presently pursuing his Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science. He graduated from the University of the Philippines-Diliman with a Master in International Studies.

Patrick Mansujeto is a graduate student of history with research focus on aviation and naval history. He is a member of the Young Leaders Program of the Pacific Forum

Mr. Philip Alegre is a Manila-based geopolitical analyst and Young Leader of Pacific Forum. He was among the 2022 cohort of the 2022 US-Philippines Next Generation Leaders in Security Initiative. He is a graduate of Political Science and holds a Master's degree in International Studies from the University of the Philippines.

Rocco Cartusciello is a recent graduate of Georgetown's Master's in Asian Affairs and focuses on Southeast Asian affairs and foreign policy. He is a current Young Leader with Pacific Forum

Michal Aamaas Aurstad is the vice-lead coordinator of The Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea. He is Young Leader at Pacific Forum Young Leaders Program and International Relations student at Tokyo International University and Research assistant at Asia Maritime Index. His research interests revolve around US alliances, maritime security, and the South China Sea disputes.

Mr. Quan Nguyen Tran the Lead Coordinator at the Manila Dialogue on the South China Sea. He is a Young Leader & Research Intern (non-resident) at the Pacific Forum, research associate and coordinator at the Asia Maritime Index project of Tokyo International University (TIU), and concurrently graduate student at the Graduate School of International Relations of TIU. His research interests cover the South China Sea disputes and Vietnam’s foreign policy with a focus on maritime security and arms acquisitions. He has recently published in the Nikkei Asia Review. His current research focus revolves around escalation management and contestation within the gray zone in the South China Sea disputes.