The Commander in Chief, U.S. Pacific Command, Adm. Dennis C. Blair; the Supreme Commander, Royal Thai Armed Forces, Gen. Mongkon Ampornpisit; and the Vice Chairman, Republic of Korea Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Chang Chung-Kil are some of the top Asia-Pacific military leaders at the 2nd Asia-Pacific Chiefs of Defense Conference.

The largest meeting of the most senior military leaders of the Asia-Pacific region took place in Honolulu, Hawaii in November 1999. The occasion was the 2nd Asia-Pacific Chiefs of Defense Conference, hosted by the Commander in Chief of the U.S. Pacific Command (USCINCPAC), Adm. Dennis C. Blair. The theme of the three-day gathering was "Changing Roles of the Militaries and Defense Sectors in Asia." The first conference was held in Honolulu in 1998. Its success in drawing 14 regional chiefs of defense led to this second conference.

Fifteen of the 16 military leaders attending were the highest ranking leaders of their armed forces. Adm. Christopher A. Barrie, Chief of the Australian Defence Force and Col. Fetu’utolu Tupou, Commander of the Tonga Defence Services, at the conference site.