Lieutenant Commander Dustin R. Williams joined the Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies as a Military Fellow in June 2017. His area of focus at DKI APCSS is strategic policy for maritime security, with an emphasis in freedom of navigation operations and regional security cooperation in the South China Sea, for the United States Coast Guard.
A native of Savannah, GA, he enlisted in the Coast Guard Reserves and attended basic training in Cape May, NJ in August 2000. He was later commissioned as an Ensign after graduation from Officer Candidate School in New London, CT in November 2003. His military education includes Naval Flight Training in Milton, FL and Naval Aviation Safety Officer course in Pensacola, FL. He is also a graduate of the following specialty courses: Army High Altitude Aviation Training, Coast Guard Advanced Helicopter Rescue School, Aviation Human Factors, Gas Turbine Investigation, National Transportation Security Board’s Advanced Mishap Analysis, Contingency Planning Basic Preparedness and Exercise, and Incident Command System 440 – Planning Section Chief.
Lt. Cmdr. Williams graduated from the University of Georgia in Athens, GA with a Bachelor of Science degree in Secondary Education. He holds a Master of Aeronautical Science degree with distinction in Aviation Education Technology from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
He recently completed a tour of duty at Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco, where he flew the MH-65D Dolphin helicopter as a Flight Examiner and served as the Assistant Operations Officer. As Assistant Operations Officer, he was responsible for the tactical and operational performance of a multi-mission air station charged with protecting 650 miles of coastline and operating six MH-65D helicopters, providing 24-hour launch capability at both San Francisco and Naval Base Ventura County. His previous assignments include Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, NJ and National Capitol Region Air Defense Facility in Washington, DC; Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen, PR; Marine Safety Unit Savannah, GA; Coast Guard Ceremonial Honor Guard in Alexandria, VA; and Marine Safety Office Mobile, AL.
His personal awards include three Coast Guard Commendation Medals; four Coast Guard Achievement Medals; the Army Achievement Medal; three Coast Guard Commandant Letters of Commendation; and is a Coast Guard Basic Training Honor Graduate.
- US-China Relations
- IPOC Goes HyFlex Globally
- Time for the Pacific Islands Forum to Step-Back and Heal
- Is the Pacific Triad (Australia, New Zealand and France) Undermining US Influence in the Pacific?
- Distant Water Fishing Fleets: What, Where, How? The Galapagos
- The Global Islamist Extremist Threat: Still Significant in 2021
- Recommendations from Papua New Guinea on How to Improve U.S. Posture in the Pacific
- A Network of Maritime Fusion Centers Throughout the Indo-Pacific
- Gray Zone Activities in Great Power Competition Workshop
- Recent Trends in Illegal Fishing in the Indo-Pacific Region
- Enabling Meaningful Participation for Women in the Security Sector
- New OpEd on South Asia and Terrorism
- New research article about Chinese perspectives of Korean unification
- DKI APCSS Holiday Message
- Announcing Indo-Pacific Orientation Course (IPOC) 21-1
- New research article about North Korea’s economic reform and opening policies
- DKI APCSS kicks off South Asia Dialogues podcast
- Considering Technical Information Protection through an Evaluation of ASAT Technology in Japan
- Center renames auditorium after the late Lt. Gen. Stackpole
- New OpEd looks at Pakistan and good governance
- The Evolving Significance of Afghanistan in China’s Strategic Calculus: From an Insignificant ‘Backyard’ to a Consequential Geostrategic Hub
- Competitive Security Gaming: Rethinking Wargaming to Provide Competitive Intelligence that Informs Strategic Competition and National Security
- IPOC Goes Hybrid in the Center’s First Course since the Start of the COVID Pandemic
- Planning for Military Involvement in an Indo-Pacific Pandemic Vaccination Program
- The Hale Koa Hotel 25th Anniversary Presentation
- Denuclearization through Peace: A Policy Approach to Change North Korea from Foe to Friend
- Media and the Security Practitioner
- Webinar highlights the Indo-Pacific Region through Hindsight, Insight, and Foresight
- Great Power Competition Versus Counterterrorism: A False Dichotomy
- Partnerships and Soft Power in Space
- Measuring Shinzo Abe’s Impact on the Indo-Pacific
- Is the U.S. Relationship with Australia Detrimental to Strategic Aspirations with Papua New Guinea?
- Hindsight, Insight, Foresight: Thinking about Security in the Indo-Pacific.
- Why We Believe: Disinformation, Misinformation, and Neuroscience
- Religion in a Values-Based Approach to Strategic Competition
- Perceptions of U.S. Posture in Papua New Guinea
- Strategic Competition, National Security and the Need for ‘Competitive Intelligence’
- Pakistan can help win peace in Afghanistan, but only once it’s stable and secure itself
- Who will welcome Bougainville?
- Maritime Domain Awareness and Maritime Fusion Centers
- Achieving Effective Herd Protection with SARS-CoV-2: A Strategy to Prevent Public Health and Economic Collapse
- Ideological Necrophilia
- Tarrant’s Last Laugh? The Spectre of White Supremacist Penetration of Western Security Forces
- The Voice of America Burmese Service interviewed Dr. Miemie Winn Byrd
- Gaming Major Power Rivalry and Climate Disasters Using Systems Tools
- Keynote Interview with Ambassador Anwarul K. Chowdhury.
- Defense Secretary Esper the Keynote at DKI APCSS’ 3rd Speaker Series and 25th Anniversary Commemoration
- Why Militaries Should Play Games With Each Other
- China’s Global Security Aspirations with Afghanistan and the Taliban
- Before it’s Too Late: U.S. Maritime Grand Strategy in the Indian Ocean and the Arctic Ocean