The Hoover Institution's Global Policy and Strategy Initiative hosted a virtual discussion on Indo-Pacific Maritime Security Cooperation: The View From Southeast Asia on Tuesday, July 21, 2026 from 5:00 - 6:30 pm.
As Australia, India, Japan, and the United States deepen maritime security cooperation, they consistently claim to be sensitive to Southeast Asian states’ concerns. But what exactly are those concerns? Despite rhetoric surrounding “ASEAN centrality,” regional perspectives are rarely analyzed in depth. This webinar explores this question about the strategic preferences and concerns of three critical bellwether states: Indonesia, Singapore, and Vietnam. Join us as this panel of in-region experts examines the variables governing regional perspectives on military cooperation between Australia, India, Japan, and the United States.
Featuring
Dr Le Hong Hiep is Senior Fellow and Coordinator of the Vietnam Studies Programme at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. He is also an editor of the Institute’s flagship journal Contemporary Southeast Asia. Hiep holds a BA from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, an MA in International Relations and a Master of Diplomacy from the Australian National University. In 2015, Hiep earned his PhD in Political and International Studies from the University of New South Wales.
Muhammad Waffaa Kharisma is a Researcher at Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Jakarta, Indonesia. With CSIS, he has worked on a range of research topics on the intersection between geopolitics, sovereignty, and humanitarian issues, including the security dynamics of the Indo-Pacific, the role of ASEAN in regional geopolitics and humanitarian issues, Indonesian foreign policy, and Indonesia’s maritime security. He graduated Master of Science from University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
Sarah Teo is an Assistant Professor in the Regional Security Architecture Programme, Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies (IDSS); and, Coordinator of PhD Programme at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her research interests include multilateral security cooperation and middle powers in Southeast Asia and the Asia Pacific.
Moderated by
Arzan Tarapore is a visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution who focuses on Indian military strategy and regional security issues on the Indo-Pacific. Prior to his scholarly career, he served for thirteen years in the Australian Department of Defence, including operational deployments and a diplomatic posting to the Australian Embassy on Washington, DC. He holds a PhD in war studies from King’s College London.
Welcome Remarks by
Adm. James O. Ellis Jr. is an Annenberg Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution, where he oversees both the Global Policy and Strategy Initiative and the George P. Shultz Energy Policy Working Group. He retired from a 39-year career with the US Navy in 2004. He has also served in the private and nonprofit sectors in areas of energy and nuclear security.
With
The Honorable Marise Payne is a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Hoover Institution. She served in the Australian Senate for over twenty-six years, between 1997 and 2023, becoming the longest-serving female senator in Australian history. Payne served as Australia’s first female minister for defense (2015–18), and as minister for women (2019–22) and minister for foreign affairs (2018–22). She was a member of the National Security Committee of the Australian Cabinet for seven years.
