The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy

San Diego is home to the largest concentration of military power in the world, world-class ocean and climate research, a life sciences industry that rivals any on Earth, and a border region that is among the most economically integrated in the Western Hemisphere. For a city with that profile, the absence of a dedicated strategic institution has always been a gap worth filling. The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy was founded in September 2025 to fill it. As we approach our first year, the progress has exceeded what any of us anticipated. Research programs, resident fellows, and a room that has brought together diplomats, flag officers, academics, industry executives, and civic and public health leaders who believe this city's perspective on the Pacific belongs in the conversations that shape it. Founder and Executive Director Blaine Worthington reflects on the journey and where the Center is headed next. https://lnkd.in/gG8BtwWF #LaJollaCenter #PacificStrategy #SanDiego #ThinkTank #IndoPacific #Geopolitics #NationalSecurity #SanDiegoDiplomacy

Competition for critical minerals is accelerating. The international frameworks designed to manage that competition are under pressure from every direction, and Pacific Latin America sits at the center of one of the most consequential debates in ocean governance today. The stakes are not abstract. They touch maritime security, supply chain resilience, environmental legitimacy, and the livelihoods of coastal communities who rarely get a seat at the table where these decisions are made. In this week’s Strategy Brief, Resident Fellow Favio Esdras Mendez Gonzalez provides important context on how seabed issues are impacting Pacific Latin America. Read it here: https://lnkd.in/g5pt3AXh #SeabedMining #OceanSecurity #CriticalMinerals #PacificLatinAmerica #MaritimeSecurity #OceanGovernance #LaJollaCenter #Geopolitics

We are pleased to announce our newest programs! The Tijuana River Public Health Crisis Program -- Led by Fellow Sarahi Lopez -and- The Undersea Strategy Program -- Led by Fellows Josh Harrelson and Favio Esdras Mendez Gonzalez Learn more and subscribe for regular updates on their research: https://lnkd.in/gQevj9kR

The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy held its inaugural America’s Strategic City forum. The event convened a cross-section of the people who make San Diego a critical node in the Pacific community: consuls general and active diplomats, retired flag officers, defense executives, public health leadership, ocean scientists, port officials, founders, and university leaders – including representatives from several Pacific partner nations. San Diego represents a singular concentration of Pacific connectivity and expertise comprising domain experts who have deployed across the Pacific, collaborated with research partners on every continent, built companies that compete globally, and maintained relationships that outlast any single administration. The La Jolla Center exists to leverage this expertise to promote regionally informed strategy and policy for a more secure, prosperous, and cooperative Pacific hemisphere. Read a summary of the event here: https://lnkd.in/guYypyDW

Seats are limited and going fast for America's Strategic City: Defining San Diego's Role in the Pacific Future. Join us on May 28 at Coasterra for an invitation-only evening with senior leaders from San Diego's defense, maritime, trade, public health, and ocean science communities. The conversation will be substantive, the room will be small, and the discussion will matter. If you have not yet requested your invitation, now is the time. #SanDiego #PacificStrategy #AmericasStrategicCity #LaJollaCenter

We're convening San Diego's most consequential leaders for a candid conversation about the city's role in the Pacific's future. America's Strategic City: Defining San Diego's Role in the Pacific Future brings together senior voices from defense, maritime, trade, public health, ocean science, and government — by invitation only. Thursday, May 28, 2026 5:00 – 8:00 PM | Coasterra, Harbor Island, San Diego $75 per person | Dinner & hosted bar Spots are limited. Request your invitation at the link below. https://lnkd.in/daUMWS8p #SanDiego #PacificStrategy #AmericasStrategicCity #LaJollaCenter

The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy is proud to welcome Dr. Margarita Elsa Villarino, MD, MPH as a Distinguished Fellow. Dr. Villarino's career is a masterclass in applied public health at scale. Trained in the CDC's Epidemic Intelligence Service, she went on to direct the Tuberculosis Trials Consortium from its inception — building the principal federally funded global clinical trial network for new tuberculosis treatments and shaping U.S. and international public health policy through 78 peer-reviewed publications. From 2013 to 2019, she served as the CDC's liaison to Mexico's Secretariat of Health in Mexico City, where she led the development of the U.S.-Mexico Binational Technical Working Group — the primary mechanism for cross-border public health coordination between the two countries that remains active today. She currently serves as a Professor of Practice in UCSD's Global Health Programs. At The La Jolla Center, Dr. Villarino will contribute to our Public Health and Biosecurity program, mentoring fellows and developing community-centered strategies that advance population health across the Pacific Hemisphere. We are honored to welcome her. #PublicHealth #PacificStrategy #GlobalHealth #SanDiego #LaJollaCenter

On March 30, 2026, The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy gathered military officers, diplomats, defense industry leaders, and scholars at the University of San Diego for the inaugural La Jolla Dialogues — a conversation on U.S.–French security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific. These are a few images from that evening. The La Jolla Dialogues is the flagship executive conversation series. #LaJollaDialogues #PacificStrategy #IndoPacific #USFranceRelations #NationalSecurity

On March 30, 2026, The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy convened the inaugural La Jolla Dialogues at the University of San Diego, a conversation on U.S.–French security cooperation in the Indo-Pacific featuring Major General Patrice Morand, French Defense Attaché to the United States, Consul General Adrien Frier, Professor Randy Willoughby, and Distinguished Fellow VADM Robert L. Thomas, Jr., USN (Ret.). The discussion surfaced a central strategic reality: European security, Indo-Pacific stability, and the credibility of the international order are deeply interconnected. A full event summary is linked in the comments. Thank you to our colleagues at San Diego Military Advisory Council (SDMAC), TMA BlueTech™, the San Diego Diplomacy Council, the San Diego World Affairs Council, the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA - SD | French American Chamber of Commerce, the Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, and the French Embassy in Washington for their participation and promotion of the event. Thank you to the University of San Diego for providing an outstanding venue. #PacificStrategy #IndoPacific #USFranceRelations #NationalSecurity #LaJollaDialogues

This afternoon in La Jolla. A conversation that matters. As pressure builds across the Indo Pacific, allied coordination is no longer optional. It is operational. Hosted by the The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy Strategy, the inaugural La Jolla Dialogues convenes senior US and French defense, diplomatic, and academic leadership, anchored by Patrice Morand, French Defense Attaché to the United States. France is not just a European partner. It is a Pacific nation with real strategic weight. That makes this dialogue especially relevant. San Diego continues to emerge as a node where defense, industry, science, and policy converge to accelerate real world capability. If you are in this space, this is worth your time. - 4:30 to 6:00 PM followed by reception - University of San Diego Attendance is limited and registration is required Learn more and register here https://lnkd.in/gp2-5kKT #MaritimeDefense #IndoPacific #OceanIntelligence #AlliedPartnerships #SanDiego #BlueTech #GlobalSecurity