--- title: "Honolulu Defense Forum 2027 — Honolulu | Model Diplomat" description: "Honolulu Defense Forum 2027 is a professional conference in Honolulu, USA, Jan 18–20, 2027. Organized by Honoluludefenseforum. Full prep on Model Diplomat." url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/conferences/professional/honolulu-defense-forum-2027" --- # Honolulu Defense Forum 2027 Jan 18–20, 2027[Honolulu, USA](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1\&query=Honolulu%2C%20USA)In-person [Registration open](https://www.honoluludefenseforum.com/) The Honolulu Defense Forum is an annual gathering focused on defense and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region. Held in Honolulu, USA, the forum brings together leaders and experts to discuss strategic challenges and opportunities. Its primary objective is to foster dialogue and collaboration on regional security matters, emphasizing the complex geopolitical landscape of the Indo-Pacific. ## Committees & topics - Topics Operationalizing Solutions to Prevail in the Indo-Pacific · Delivering Combat Power Forward: Speed, Scale, and Sustainment · Coalition as a Capability: Executing Networked Deterrence · Industrial Power as Deterrence: Mobilizing Capacity · Decision Advantage: AI, Data, and the Information Domain · Economic Investment and Resilience in Action: Securing Supply Chains and Strategic Resources ## Why it matters The forum serves as a critical platform for understanding the evolving security dynamics in a strategically vital part of the world. Discussions often revolve around maritime security, emerging technologies, and the balance of power, directly influencing policy considerations and strategic planning for nations with significant interests in the region, including the USA. The event's location underscores the USA's enduring commitment to stability and security in the Indo-Pacific. Given the increasing interconnectedness of global security, the outcomes and insights from the Honolulu Defense Forum resonate far beyond its immediate participants. It provides a barometer for assessing regional tensions and identifying potential areas for cooperation. For those tracking international relations and defense policy, the forum offers a valuable window into the strategic thinking that shapes the future of the Indo-Pacific. ## How to prepare To effectively engage with the themes of the Honolulu Defense Forum, participants should undertake a comprehensive review of current geopolitical trends in the Indo-Pacific. This includes understanding the strategic interests and military postures of major powers such as the USA. Familiarity with key regional security challenges, such as territorial disputes and cyber threats, is also essential. Delegates can benefit from applying frameworks like the "Power-Interest Grid" to analyze the various actors involved in Indo-Pacific security. Understanding "[Hidden Stakeholders](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/hidden-stakeholders)" and their influence can provide a more nuanced perspective on policy discussions. Additionally, developing strong "Engagement Strategies" will be crucial for effective participation, whether in formal sessions or informal networking. A "Stakeholder Mapping Workshop" could be a valuable preparatory exercise to identify and understand the perspectives of different nations and organizations present at the forum. Considering "Dynamic Analysis" of ongoing conflicts and alliances will also enhance one's ability to contribute meaningfully to the discussions. ## Country perspectives Where the most-relevant 1 countries stand on the core issues in play. Click through for the full country profile. [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [A primary host and key strategic actor, focused on maintaining regional stability and its alliances.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Role in topic](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [As the host nation of the forum in Honolulu, the USA plays a central role in shaping the agenda and facilitating discussions on Indo-Pacific security. Its perspective often emphasizes freedom of navigation, deterrence against aggression, and strengthening partnerships with regional allies.](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) ## Topics & background The background behind each topic and the actors that shape it. 1 ### Operationalizing Solutions to Prevail in the Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific has emerged as the principal theater of strategic competition in the 21st century, driven by China's military modernization, expansive maritime claims in the South and East China Seas, sustained pressure on Taiwan, and North Korea's nuclear and missile programs. The 2022 U.S. National Defense Strategy designated the People's Republic of China as the 'pacing challenge,' and successive Indo-Pacific Strategy documents from Washington, Tokyo, Canberra, and European partners have emphasized integrated deterrence across a vast maritime domain spanning Hollywood to Hollywood — Hollywood, California to Bollywood, India. U.S. Indo-Pacific Command has highlighted compressed warning times, the tyranny of distance, and gaps in munitions stockpiles, basing access, and joint command and control. Initiatives such as the Pacific Deterrence Initiative, AUKUS Pillars I and II, the U.S.-Japan alliance modernization announced in 2024, expanded EDCA sites in the Philippines, and trilateral cooperation with the Republic of Korea reflect efforts to translate strategy into posture. Yet questions persist about whether force design, logistics, and partner interoperability can keep pace with PLA timelines, particularly the 2027 readiness benchmark frequently cited by U.S. officials. Operationalizing deterrence now means moving from declaratory policy to executable plans: hardening forward bases, distributing forces under concepts like Agile Combat Employment and Stand-In Forces, fielding long-range fires, and synchronizing allied operational planning. The debate centers on how to convert assembled capabilities into a credible warfighting posture that deters aggression without provoking the very conflict it seeks to prevent. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Lead architect of integrated deterrence and primary external security guarantor in the region](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Principal pacing challenger driving force posture changes across the theater](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [Japan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) [Anchor northern ally modernizing counterstrike capabilities and command structures](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) - [Australia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) [AUKUS partner providing southern strategic depth and submarine basing](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) - [Philippines](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/philippines) [Frontline state hosting expanded EDCA sites near Taiwan and the South China Sea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/philippines) - [South Korea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Northeast Asian ally central to extended deterrence and trilateral cooperation](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) 2 ### Delivering Combat Power Forward: Speed, Scale, and Sustainment Sustaining combat power across the Pacific's vast distances has been described by U.S. logisticians as the central operational problem of any high-end Indo-Pacific contingency. Unlike the relatively mature logistics architecture of the European theater, the Pacific lacks dense pre-positioning networks, interior lines, and assured commercial lift. Russia's war in Ukraine has further exposed Western munitions production shortfalls, with stockpiles of 155mm artillery, Patriot interceptors, and long-range precision fires drawn down faster than industry can replenish them. The U.S. Department of Defense has responded with initiatives including the Joint Production Accelerator Cell, multi-year munitions procurement authorities, expanded pre-positioned stocks in Australia and Japan, and renewed investment in sealift and tanker recapitalization. Allies have followed with Japan's stand-off missile buildup, Australia's Guided Weapons and Explosive Ordnance enterprise, and South Korea's surge production of artillery and armored vehicles. Concepts such as Contested Logistics, Distributed Maritime Operations, and the Army's Theater Distribution Center in the Pacific aim to move sustainment forward under threat. The core question is whether the joint force and its allies can deliver, store, and protect the fuel, munitions, spares, and medical capacity required to fight at scale, far from home, against an adversary with mature precision-strike complexes. Speed of decision, speed of production, and speed of movement are now treated as deterrent capabilities in their own right. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Primary force provider managing transoceanic sustainment and munitions ramp-up](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [Japan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) [Host nation expanding pre-positioning, fuel, and maintenance infrastructure](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) - [Australia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) [Southern logistics hub and partner in joint munitions co-production](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) - [South Korea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Major munitions producer backfilling allied stockpiles and surge capacity](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) - [Philippines](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/philippines) [Forward archipelagic basing enabling distributed sustainment near contested waters](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/philippines) 3 ### Coalition as a Capability: Executing Networked Deterrence The post-2022 security environment has produced an unusually dense lattice of overlapping minilateral arrangements in the Indo-Pacific: AUKUS, the Quad, the U.S.-Japan-ROK trilateral formalized at Camp David in 2023, the U.S.-Japan-Philippines trilateral launched in 2024, the Squad (U.S.-Japan-Australia-Philippines), and growing European engagement through deployments by the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands. NATO's Indo-Pacific Four partnership with Japan, South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand has further blurred theater boundaries. This 'latticework' reflects a deliberate U.S. strategy articulated by successive administrations to move beyond the hub-and-spoke alliance model toward a networked architecture in which allies and partners interoperate directly with each other. Concrete outputs include real-time missile warning data sharing among the U.S., Japan, and ROK; combined maritime patrols in the South China Sea; AUKUS Pillar II work on undersea, hypersonic, and AI capabilities; and joint exercises of unprecedented scale such as Talisman Sabre and Balikatan. The operational challenge is converting political alignment into combined warfighting capability: harmonizing rules of engagement, classification regimes, command relationships, and technology release policies. Treating the coalition itself as a capability — one that must be exercised, sustained, and signaled — is the conceptual shift this discussion examines. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Hub-and-network orchestrator linking bilateral alliances into combined structures](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [Japan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) [Central node in multiple minilaterals and host of expanded combined commands](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) - [Australia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) [AUKUS principal and Squad participant integrating Anglo-Pacific defense ties](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) - [United Kingdom](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [AUKUS partner and tilt-to-Indo-Pacific power projecting carrier and submarine presence](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) - [Philippines](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/philippines) [Emerging trilateral and Squad partner anchoring South China Sea cooperation](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/philippines) - [South Korea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Camp David trilateral participant linking Northeast Asian deterrence to broader networks](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) 4 ### Industrial Power as Deterrence: Mobilizing Capacity The wars in Ukraine and Gaza, combined with strategic competition with China, have revived the recognition that defense industrial capacity is itself a form of deterrence. The United States and its allies, which spent three decades optimizing defense production for efficiency and just-in-time delivery, now confront an adversary in China that has built the world's largest shipbuilding base — over 230 times U.S. capacity by tonnage according to ONI estimates — and a defense industrial system tightly integrated with civilian manufacturing under the doctrine of Military-Civil Fusion. The 2023 U.S. National Defense Industrial Strategy, the Defense Production Act Title III investments, the AUKUS industrial base work, Japan's revised defense equipment transfer guidelines, and the EU's European Defence Industry Programme all reflect efforts to expand magazine depth, workforce, and surge capacity. Key bottlenecks include solid rocket motors, critical minerals, machine tools, microelectronics, castings and forgings, and skilled labor. Multi-year procurement authority, co-production agreements such as PAC-3 with Japan, and allied investment in U.S. shipyards illustrate emerging responses. The debate concerns how quickly democracies can mobilize industrial capacity in peacetime, how to share production across allies without hollowing out any single national base, and whether visible industrial mobilization can itself shift adversary calculations before a crisis begins. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Largest defense industrial base undergoing wartime-style reindustrialization](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Benchmark competitor with dominant shipbuilding and integrated civil-military production](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [Japan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) [Revising export rules and expanding co-production of missiles and platforms](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) - [South Korea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Global exporter of artillery, armor, and naval platforms backfilling allied inventories](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) - [Australia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) [Building sovereign guided weapons enterprise and AUKUS industrial integration](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) - [United Kingdom](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [AUKUS submarine industrial partner expanding nuclear and munitions capacity](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) 5 ### Decision Advantage: AI, Data, and the Information Domain Modern military advantage increasingly hinges on the speed and quality of decisions rather than platform counts alone. The U.S. Department of Defense's Combined Joint All-Domain Command and Control (CJADC2) effort, the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office established in 2022, Task Force Lima on generative AI, and Project Maven's transition to NGA reflect a sustained push to fuse sensor data and accelerate the kill chain. China's pursuit of 'intelligentized warfare' and Russia's information operations in Ukraine illustrate how adversaries are investing in the same domain. Parallel developments include the 2023 Political Declaration on Responsible Military Use of AI now endorsed by more than 50 states, NATO's AI Strategy update, AUKUS Pillar II's AI and autonomy line of effort, and growing concern over deepfakes, election interference, and cognitive warfare. The information domain — encompassing cyber, electromagnetic spectrum, space-based ISR, and narrative competition — is treated as a continuous battlespace rather than a wartime add-on. The central questions are how to field AI-enabled capabilities responsibly and at scale, how to protect data and networks under sustained attack, how to maintain meaningful human control over lethal decisions, and how to compete in an information environment where adversaries face fewer self-imposed constraints. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Lead developer of CJADC2 and military AI governance frameworks](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Principal competitor pursuing intelligentized warfare and civil-military AI fusion](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Persistent actor in cyber operations and information warfare against Western states](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) - [United Kingdom](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [AUKUS Pillar II partner on AI, autonomy, and electronic warfare](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) - [Australia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) [AUKUS partner integrating advanced capabilities and sovereign cyber posture](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) - [Israel](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/israel) [Battlefield laboratory for AI-enabled targeting and ISR fusion at operational scale](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/israel) 6 ### Economic Investment and Resilience in Action: Securing Supply Chains and Strategic Resources The COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and China's 2010 rare earth embargo against Japan together exposed the strategic vulnerability of globalized supply chains in semiconductors, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals, and energy. The 2022 CHIPS and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, the EU Critical Raw Materials Act, Japan's Economic Security Promotion Act, and the Minerals Security Partnership launched in 2022 all reflect a shift from efficiency-first globalization toward resilience, friend-shoring, and selective decoupling in sensitive sectors. China currently dominates processing of rare earths, graphite, gallium, germanium, and several battery materials, and has demonstrated willingness to use export controls as leverage, including 2023-2024 restrictions on gallium, germanium, and graphite. Allied responses include U.S.-Japan-Korea cooperation on semiconductor supply chains, Australia's critical minerals strategy, Quad initiatives on clean energy supply chains, and the IPEF Supply Chain Agreement entered into force in 2024. The agenda now focuses on translating strategy into investment: financing mines and processing facilities outside China, building strategic stockpiles, coordinating export controls and outbound investment screening, and ensuring that resilience measures do not fracture into protectionism that weakens the coalition. Economic security is increasingly inseparable from military deterrence, with supply chain vulnerabilities treated as exploitable in any sustained crisis. Key players - [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Anchor of friend-shoring, export controls, and Minerals Security Partnership](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) - [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Dominant processor of critical minerals and source of supply chain leverage](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) - [Australia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) [Major upstream supplier of lithium, rare earths, and critical minerals to allies](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) - [Japan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) [Pioneer of economic security legislation and semiconductor supply chain partner](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) - [South Korea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Key node in semiconductor, battery, and shipbuilding resilience efforts](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) - [Canada](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/canada) [Critical minerals supplier integrating with U.S. industrial and defense base](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/canada) ## Resources News, lessons, and country profiles to prep for Honolulu Defense Forum 2027. Recent reporting to ground your prep [US Job Openings at 6.7M](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/us-job-openings-at-67m-implications-for-2026-elections) [Trump's Economic Reset](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-economic-reset-aiming-to-tackle-high-gas-prices) [Trump's Economic Approval Hits 30% Amid Iran](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/trumps-economic-approval-plummets-to-30-amid-iran-tensions) [GOP Promotes Trump's Tax Savings on Deadline](https://modeldiplomat.com/story/gop-highlights-trumps-tax-savings-on-filing-deadline-day) Lessons Bite-sized lessons to build the basics [The Power-Interest Grid](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/power-interest-grid) [Hidden Stakeholders](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/hidden-stakeholders) [Engagement Strategies](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/engagement-strategies) [Dynamic Analysis](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/lessons/dynamic-analysis) Courses Guided courses that go deeper on the topic [Advanced Negotiation](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/advanced-negotiation) [Multilateral Negotiation](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/multilateral-negotiation) [Policy Brief Writing](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/policy-brief) [Conflict Resolution](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/courses/conflict-resolution) The states in play, with the data that shapes their stance [United States](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-states) [China](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/china) [Japan](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/japan) [Australia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/australia) [Philippines](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/philippines) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/philippines) [South Korea](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/south-korea) [United Kingdom](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/united-kingdom) [Russia](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/russia) [Israel](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/israel) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/israel) [Canada](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/canada) [Country dossier](https://modeldiplomat.com/country/canada) ## Frequently asked questions - - - Free account Save conferences, research any topic with AI, build position papers, and keep your daily prep streak — free. 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