In the first year of this bespoke and exclusive program, funded by the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, a series of expert panels will take place online. In the second year of the program, a trilateral roundtable would take place in Japan. Both types of event would feature a roughly equal number of speakers from Australia, Japan, and the United States. Where appropriate, speakers from other countries may be invited, but the focus would be on issues in the trilateral U.S.-Japan-Australia relationship. The expert panels and roundtable would be held under the Chatham House rule. In addition to the speakers, early-career professionals from Australia, Japan, and the United States would be invited to participate in the online expert panel sessions. Officials from the three nations would also be invited to participate as observers. Moreover, in order to ensure that the information reaches a broader audience, speakers would be invited to contribute working papers and blog posts, and a social media strategy would ensure that the ideas generated would find a wider audience. Speakers at the roundtable would be invited to participate in breakfast briefings and/or public panel discussions in the days around the forum.

The AIIA does not produce information on behalf of foreign principals. The AIIA acts as a forum for discussion and debate and ensures that the speakers and authors it invites to its events maintain an independent and critical voice. The AIIA is itself a completely independent forum and does not hold an institutional view on any matter of international affairs.

The Australian Institute of International Affairs (AIIA), with the cooperation of Japanese and American partner organizations, is organising unique opportunities for early career professionals and experts focusing on security and economic well-being in the Indo-Pacific.