At the beginning of the Spring 2026 semester, three MAIA students, Anita Aravena, Sachit Lama, and Amanda Spincola, attended the Indo-Pacific Orientation Course (IPOC) at the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) in Honolulu, Hawaii.
Since its founding by the late U.S. Senator Daniel K. Inouye in 1995, DKI APCSS has addressed regional and global security by bringing together military and civilian representatives from the United States and Asia-Pacific nations to explore pressing issues and deepen understanding of the challenges shaping the Indo-Pacific.
The course the students were enrolled in, IPOC, is an intensive executive education program designed for mid-career to senior-level security professionals committed to strengthening deterrence, resilience, and regional cooperation across the Indo-Pacific. The course aims to equip participants with the strategic insight, regional understanding, and professional network needed to help their organizations compete and prevail in an increasingly complex, contested, and interconnected security environment.
Through their involvement in the course, Anita, Sachit, and Amanda gained a practical understanding of how military, cyber, space, information, and maritime power converge to generate advantage, deter aggression, and secure operational dominance in the Indo-Pacific. Their enrollment in the course also gave them access to an expansive network of defense, diplomatic, law-enforcement, and civilian security practitioners shaping the Indo-Pacific security landscape.
Throughout the course, Sachit made many A&P connections that will benefit his work as a U.S. Army Foreign Area Officer. While Anita and Amanda's career paths are less set in stone, their involvement in the course has allowed them to connect with various working professionals at the USG, who have offered to serve as mentors as they embark on their careers in foreign policy and diplomacy, respectively.