2025
Potomac Dialogue

2025 Theme

Bridging the Divide: The Vital Role of the Asia Pacific in Global Security and Economic Stability

The Asia-Indo-Pacific is set to define the 21st century. As a hub of economic dynamism, innovation, and trade, its stability and prosperity are essential to global security and equitable development. Yet, the region faces complex challenges, including territorial disputes and potential military escalation. Economic security, ensuring uninterrupted flows, is key to mitigating conflict. The Potomac Dialogue, hosted annually by the Center for Asia Pacific Strategy (CAPS) in Washington, D.C., provides a critical forum for pragmatic, solution-oriented engagement. By fostering deeper understanding and actionable insights, these dialogues equip stakeholders to navigate the region’s complexities and advance shared prosperity.

Venue

Marriott Marquis Washington, DC
“University of DC & Catholic University” Conference Room
901 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC

Day 1
Thursday, October 16 2025
8:00

Registration / Coffee & Pastries


8:30 – 9:15

Opening Session

  • Opening Address
    • Ms. Hee-Eun Kim, President & CEO, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
  • Keynote Address
    • H.E. Nguyen Quoc Dzung, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the United States of America, Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Washington D.C.

9:20 – 10:50

Session I: “Economic Cooperation and the Asia Pacific”

  • Moderator: Dr. Tracey German, Professor of Conflict and Security in the Defense Studies Department, KCL & Senior Associate Fellow at Royal United Service Institute
  • Distinguished Panel:
    • Mr. Pierce Scranton, Head of Institutional Relations (North America) and Deputy Head of North America, TEMASEK, Washington, DC
    • Mr. Matthew Lengerich, Executive General Manager, Jervois
    • Mr. Michael McKeon, Director of Government Affairs, ASML
    • Dr. Rebecca Harding, CEO of the Centre for Economic Security, London
    • Mr. Marc Mealy, Executive Vice President & Chief Policy Officer, US-ASEAN Business Council

10:50 – 11:05

Scheduled Break


11:05 – 12:35

Session II: “Food Security and Supply Chain Resilience”

  • Moderator: Dr. Rebecca Harding, CEO of the Centre for Economic Security, London
  • Distinguished Panel:
    • Mr. Adam Savit, Director, China Policy Initiative, America First Policy Institute
    • Mr. Emilio Vega-Centeno, Head of the Economic Dept., Embassy of Peru to the United States
    • Mr. Matthew O’Mara, Senior Director, International Government Relations, Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)
    • Mr. Adam Leslie, Executive Director, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI USA)

12:40 – 13:40

Networking Lunch


13:40 – 15:10

Session III: “Why does Combined -Joint Security Matter?”

  • Keynote Address: H.E. Robert Wilkie, Former Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness
  • Moderator: Colonel (Ret.) David Maxwell, Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
  • Distinguished Panel:
    • General (Ret.) Mike Minihan, former Commander of Air Mobility Command, US / former Deputy Commander, Indo-Pacific Command
    • Vice Admiral (Ret.) Taho Won, President, Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy
    • Mr. Chad Sbragia, Former Deputy Assistant Secretary for China, Office of the Secretary of Defense
    • Lieutenant General (Ret.) John Deedrick, former US Representative for the NATO Military Committee
    • Ms. Jamie Morgan, Non-Resident Fellow, Carnegie Mellon University Institute for Strategy and Technology / Former Director for Regional Affairs for South and Southeast Asia, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, US Department of Defense

15:10 – 15:25

Scheduled Break


15:25 – 16:55

Session IV: “International Trade and Economic Stability”

  • Moderator: Alena Kudzko, Executive Director, GLOBSEC US Foundation
  • Distinguished Panel:
    • H.E. Jose Manuel G. Romualdez, Philippines Ambassador to the United States
    • Ms. Andrea Yang, Deputy Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S.
    • Mr. Pierce Scranton, Head of Institutional Relations (North America) and Deputy Head of North America, TEMASEK, New York
    • Dr. Rebecca Harding, CEO of the Centre for Economic Security, London
    • Dr. Ksenia Kirkham, Senior Lecturer in Economic Warfare, King’s College London

17:00 – 17:30

Conclusion and Summary of Insights

  • Colonel (Ret.) David Maxwell, Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
  • General (Ret.) John Tilelli, Senior Advisor, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy
  • Ms. Hee-Eun Kim, President & CEO, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

18:00 – 20:00

VIP Reception for Speakers and Guests

(By Invitation)

Day 2

Friday, October 17 2025

Closed-Door Workshop

(By Invitation)


Co-Chair, American Security, America First Policy Institute, Senior National Security Analyst, NEWSMAX

Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam to the United States, Chairman of the ASEAN Committee in Washington D.C.

Ambassador of the Republic of the Philippines to the United States

Deputy Representative, Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the U.S.

Session Speakers


Former US Representative for the NATO Military Committee

Professor in Conflict Security, Defence Studies, King’s College London

Senior Fellow of the British Foreign Policy Group

President & CEO
Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Senior Lecturer in Economic Warfare, King’s College London

Executive Director, GLOBSEC US Foundation

Executive General Manager, Jervois Global

Director, Australian Strategic Policy Institute

Vice President, Center for Asia Pacific Strategy

Director of Government Affairs, ASML

Executive Vice President and Chief Policy Officer, US-ASEAN Business Council

Research Assistant and Lecturer, Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz, Germany

Gen (Ret.) Mike Minihan

Former Commander of US Air Mobility Command

Former Director for Regional Affairs for S & SE Asia, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, US Dept. of Defense

Senior Director, International Government Relations of Archer Daniels Midland Company

Director of the China Policy Initiative, America First Policy Institute (AFPI)

Chad Sbragia

Former Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for China, US Dept. of Defense

Head of Institutional Relations (North America) and Deputy Head of North America, TEMASEK

CAPS Senior Advisor
Former Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Command, Republic of Korea/United States Combined Forces Command/United States Forces Korea

Head of the Economic Department Embassy of Peru in the U.S.

President, Korea Institute for Maritime Strategy