 By Kathryn Ingram Photographs by Ms. Amy Alie |
||||
Lt. Col. Nattawut Sabyeroop, an artillery officer in the Royal Thai Army, is the 1000th graduate of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (APCSS), College of Security Studies, Fort DeRussy, Hawaii. Lt. Col. Sabyeroop and 73 other senior military and government leaders from 33 countries graduated from the 12-week "Executive Course" in December 2002. The APCSS mission is to enhance cooperation and build relationships among military and civilian representatives of the United States and other Asia-Pacific nations through the study of security issues. The center serves the U.S. Pacific Command’s objective of developing professional and personal ties with the militaries and national security establishments in the region. The center focuses on a multilateral approach to regional security issues and builds on relations among future leaders and decision-makers within the region. Lt. Col. Sabyeroop has a master’s degree in historical research from the Sorbonne in Paris, France, and a master’s degree in engineering from the Ecole Spéciale Militaire de Saint-Cyr. He is also a graduate of France’s College Interarmee de Defense and the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College. Following his graduation, Lt. Col. Sabyeroop rejoined his wife and two children in Bangkok, Thailand, and resumed his position as instructor at the Royal Thai Army’s Command and General Staff College. Speaking of his experience at the Executive Course, he said, "I have spent one-fourth of my life as a student in foreign countries; this is the most interesting course I have ever taken. Although the knowledge we attain during these 12 weeks is important, what’s more important are the relationships, the friendships, and the professional network that will last forever." U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye’s belief that U.S.-Asian relations would benefit from a center in the Asia-Pacific region, similar to the George C. Marshall European Center for Security Studies, in Germany, led to the establishment of the APCSS. In 1994, the U.S. Congress passed legislation directing the U.S. Navy to establish a regional center that would report to the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command. The APCSS officially opened on 4 September 1995 at a ceremony attended by the U.S. Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Commander, U.S. Pacific Command.
APCSS alumni continue to move into positions of influence in their countries, carrying with them the regional perspective and relationships fostered at the center. APCSS graduates include one minister of defense, numerous others serving in senior civilian cabinet positions, three chiefs of defense, two chiefs of staff, two deputy chiefs of staff, five ambassadors, 15 police superintendents, and over 100 general officers. A Philippine alumnus co-chaired the Philippine-Malaysian Working Group on Information Exchange, part of the Philippine-Malaysian Defense Cooperation that will work on a Status of Forces Agreement between the two countries. Individual leaders use contacts they make through the APCSS to deal with crisis situations. A Papua New Guinea alumnus reported that after reading a report on a Bougainville Revolutionary Army (Papua New Guinea revolutionary group) attack on Solomon Island civilians, he "picked up the phone and called [his] fellow alumnus to exchange notes on the crisis there and update him on information." APCSS attendance is a prerequisite for Sri Lankan senior officers before assignment to their Joint Staff J5 (Planning, External Affairs) Directorate and for Mongolian military and civilian senior personnel before assignment to Ministry of External Affairs "Asia" departments. The APCSS provides a venue for senior officers and civilian equivalents from Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh to discuss regional issues. A Pakistani brigadier general attending the center commented that he finally understood the Bangladeshi perspective on regional security after working closely with a colonel from Bangladesh in the Executive Course. Long after each graduate departs Hawaii, the APCSS continues to enhance coordination and communication among the students. These long-term links are important for coordinating counterterrorism efforts and addressing other transnational security threats. While terrorism has always been addressed in the APCSS’s core programs, the center seeks opportunities to enhance the focus wherever appropriate. Ms. Kathryn Ingram is Chief, Public Affairs, Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. |
||||
|
