In-person registration for both days is closed. Virtual registration is still available.
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About the event: Please join us for the launch of the Indo-Pacific Policy Lab at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies (FSI) at Stanford University. This new initiative within the Center for International Security and Cooperation (CISAC) is dedicated to creating and disseminating leading academic knowledge to inform national policymakers on Indo-Pacific security issues, building the next generation of regional security experts, and helping mobilize American industry and civil society for long-term competitiveness.
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This launch event will bring together senior policymakers, scholars, and practitioners for a full-day program on the most pressing strategic questions facing the United States and its allies in the Indo-Pacific. Through panel discussions and keynote conversation, participants will examine U.S. national security strategy toward China, the implications of deepening China-Russia alignment, and the broader global consequences of China’s expanding power and partnerships. In bringing these conversations together, the program will reflect the lab’s mission to connect rigorous academic research with urgent policy challenges and strengthen ties between academia and the broader policy community.
Please note that exact times are subject to change based on speaker availability.
Agenda
May 14, 2026
1:00 - 1:10 PM
Opening Remarks and Introductions
Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; Director, Indo-Pacific Policy Lab, Stanford University
1:15 - 2:45 PM
Keynote Address
The Honorable Kurt Campbell, Chairman and Co-Founder of The Asia Group; Former Deputy Secretary of The United States Department of State
Moderator: Colin Kahl, Director, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; Former Undersecretary of Defense for Policy
3:00 - 4:30 PM
Private Discussion - by invitation only
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May 15, 2026
8:00 - 9:50 AM
Private Discussion - by invitation only
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10:00 - 10:15 AM
Opening Remarks and Introductions
Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies; Director, Indo-Pacific Policy Lab, Stanford University
10:15 - 11:40 AM
Panel I: China-Russia Alignment and Its Strategic Implications
China and Russia have deepened their political and military coordination in ways that increasingly affect U.S. strategy in the Indo-Pacific and beyond. Joint patrols, expanding defense cooperation, and developments involving North Korea have raised new questions about the nature, durability, and strategic consequences of their partnership. This panel will explore the evolving alignment between China and Russia and assess its implications for U.S. and allied security and strategy. The conversation will address the drivers of this partnership, the ways it is reshaping global geopolitics, and the challenges it poses across both the Indo-Pacific and the broader international system.
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Moderator: Michael McFaul, Senior Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, Stanford University; Former United States Ambassador to Russia
Panelists:
Kyle Beardsley, Professor of Political Science, Duke University
Oriana Skylar Mastro, Center Fellow, Freeman Spogli Institute; Director, Indo-Pacific Policy Lab, Stanford University
Kathryn Stoner, Mosbacher Director and Senior Fellow, Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, Stanford University
11:40 AM - 12:00 PM
Lunch is served
Please collect lunch and return to seats for Fireside Chat
12:00 - 12:30 PM
Fireside Chat
Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command [virtual]
Moderator: Oriana Skylar Mastro, Director, Indo-Pacific Policy Lab, Stanford University​
12:40 - 1:40 PM
Keynote Conversation
General CQ Brown, Jr., USAF (Ret.) 21st Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff [virtual]
Moderator: Oriana Skylar Mastro, Director, Indo-Pacific Policy Lab, Stanford University​
1:40 - 1:55 PM
Break
2:00 - 3:30 PM
Panel II: U.S. National Security Strategy and China
As competition with China intensifies, the United States is reassessing how to balance deterrence, alliance management, economic competition, and regional stability in the Indo-Pacific. Current debates center on how Washington should respond to China’s growing military capabilities, regional ambitions, and broader challenge to U.S. interests while working more closely with allies and partners. This panel will examine how the United States is approaching the challenge posed by China and what a durable national security strategy should look like in an era of long-term competition. The discussion will consider the military, political, and economic dimensions of U.S. strategy, as well as the broader implications for regional order in the Indo-Pacific.
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Moderator: Lt. Gen. Jennifer M. Short (Ret.), Former Senior Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense, the Pentagon
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Panelists:
Elizabeth Economy, Hargrove Senior Fellow, Co-chair, Program on the US, China, and the World, Hoover Institution; Former Senior Advisor for China in the Department of Commerce
Tyler Jost, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Watson Institute; Assistant Professor of China Studies, Brown University
Ely Ratner, Principal, The Marathon Initiative; Former Assistant Secretary of Defense for Indo-Pacific Security Affairs
3:30 - 3:45 PM
Closing Statements