Earlier this year, the University of Washington introduced the first Asia-Pacific Military Fellowship program as part of a partnership between itself, Joint Base Lewis-McChord and the U.S. Army War College Fellows.

The program is one of a variety of fellowship programs in different universities across the U.S. and overseas, each one with its own specific focus. The Asia-Pacific fellowship is hosted at the Jackson School of International Studies at UW.

This fellowship program provides senior military officers the opportunity to share perspectives and participate in academic studies focusing on the Pacific region.

“In my case the University of Washington is focused on Asia-Pacific Studies,” said Lt. Col. Jaren K. Price, U.S. Army War College Fellow from JSIS. “It has a lot of resources linking Washington into China, Japan, Korea and other Pacific areas, which is the focus of my studies.”

Price’s academics are linked to the study of the Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force, including their developing capabilities, rapid deployment and amphibious operations. During his time at the university, Price will be working on a research project for the Army on this specific subject.

As part of the fellowship, upon completion of Price’s year at UW, he will do a utilization tour in a location related to his studies where he can apply the knowledge and lessons learned during the program.
“Probably for my assignment next summer I’ll be going somewhere in the Asia-Pacific, whether it’s Hawaii, Korea or JBLM,” Price said. “I can take the knowledge I received and apply it to policies, plans and operations that the Army does across the Asia-Pacific region.”

Although the unique set of skills learned at the university are of great value, there are other key benefits that play an important role for both the fellowship and the university.

“I think the most important part of the fellowship is building a relationship between the military and the university,” Price said. “There are things the university can contribute to the military as far as our understanding of Asia Pacific region, at the same time me being able to provide my expertise and knowledge of what I have done in the last 20 years in the military.”

The potential to learn from each other is a highlight for both the military and university communities.

“The military and university have distinct missions, but where we can find topics of common interest is important to know how to interact and speak with each other,” said Dr. Lisa Hoffman, professor, Urban Studies at UW-Tacoma. “This fellowship certainly offers that opportunity.”

Throughout the years, UW and JBLM have both developed a flourishing relationship that continues to grow.

“We are glad to be able to continue the partnership with JBLM, establish a relationship with the U.S. Army War College, and showcase our internationally recognized academic faculty and campuses.” Hoffman said.