%201007%20HDF%20Media%20One%20Pager%20.png)
Pacific Forum Announces Honolulu Defense Forum 2026: Operationalizing Indo-Pacific Readiness and Deterrence
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Honolulu, Hawai‘i – 12-23-2025
ADM Samuel Paparo to Open the Forum with a Keynote Address in Honolulu, January 11–13, 2026
The Honolulu Defense Forum (HDF) — the premier Indo-Pacific defense and security conference hosted annually by Pacific Forum, a leading non-partisan think tank based in Hawai‘i — will return on January 11–13, 2026, bringing together senior government, military, industry, and academic leaders from the United States and allied nations.
This next edition will be opened by Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of U.S. Indo-Pacific Command.
Building on the momentum of previous editions—each convening over 400 senior U.S. and allied officials, military leaders, and industry executives—HDF 2026 will focus on "Operationalizing Indo-Pacific Readiness and Deterrence", shifting from planning to execution in the face of intensifying strategic competition.
2026 Forum Themes
HDF 2026 will explore five core themes critical to the region’s defense posture:
- Widening and Improving Credible Deterrence Now
- Networked Architecture: From Concepts to Reality
- Hardening Critical Systems Against Multi-Domain Threats
- Operational Advantage Through Information, AI, and Data
- Partnerships for Innovation and Revitalizing the Defense Industrial Base
These themes reflect the Forum’s operational focus—moving beyond theory to deliver concrete strategies for integrated deterrence, technological superiority, and alliance-based resilience.
Strategic Objectives
Amid escalating regional challenges, HDF 2026 will highlight the need for:
- Stronger bilateral and multilateral partnerships
- Accelerated capability development and joint operations
- Coordinated use of economic and military tools in strategic competition
- Forward-deployed, combat-credible forces ready to respond across domains
By connecting key Indo-Pacific stakeholders—from policymakers and commanders to technologists and industrial leaders—HDF 2026 aims to generate actionable recommendations to close the region’s most pressing security gaps.
More information about #HDF26: https://pacforum.swoogo.com/HDF26
For media inquiries, interview requests, or press registration, please contact:
Shanna Khayat