San Diego: America’s Strategic City
On May 28, 2026, leaders from industry, academia, government, and capital will gather in San Diego to define our city’s role in the Pacific future
May 28, 2026 · 5:00 PM - 8:00 PM
Coasterra · Harbor Island
Attendance Limited · Request Invitation
San Diego sits at the intersection of defense, trade, research, and innovation in the Pacific.
Join us as we explore San Diego’s role as a strategic hub in the Pacific and strengthen alignment across the city’s defense, innovation, and policy ecosystem.
Featuring an executive panel moderated by Distinguished Fellow VADM Robert L. Thomas, Jr., USN (Ret.)
Panel includes representatives from National Security, Biosecurity, Strategic Innovation, and International Trade.
This inaugural forum launches the La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy’s initiative to convene leaders shaping the future of the Pacific.
Graduate Internship Program
Graduate Interns at The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy lead a 10-week Strategy Sprint to design actionable solutions for Pacific challenges.
Working alongside mentors and peers, interns guide a La Jolla Center Working Group through our Social Strategy Development Process — turning ideas into impact.
Participants publish a strategy for real-world application while building professional, analytical, and leadership skills.
Does your company or organization invest in future leaders?
Become a sponsor, join a working group, and explore opportunities to hire our alumni.
How we work.
The La Jolla Center for Pacific Strategy facilitates strategy development projects led by Fellows and Interns. Throughout the year, we issue Calls for Fellows and Calls for Interns inviting applicants to propose a strategic problem they want to tackle.
Each proposal outlines the problem’s scope, background, and affected communities—and maps the key stakeholders and interests at play.
The Center then leverages its network of San Diego and Pacific-based experts, institutions, and industry partners to convene a working group dedicated to real commitments and real action. Guided by our Strategic Fellows and supported by the Center, this group moves through our Social Strategy Development Process—from shared understanding to coordinated implementation.
The result: a strategy built for action and impact.
Get Involved.
Social strategy requires participation. Sign up now to become a fellow or to join a working group.
Social strategy is a new way to shape the future. It’s a people-first approach that reimagines how strategy is made — moving it from government offices and boardrooms to the networks of people closest to real challenges.
It starts with those on the leading edge of the strategic frontier — individuals and institutions who understand problems first-hand and have the reach to act now. Instead of waiting for policy to catch up, social strategy empowers stakeholders to test ideas, build coalitions, and create solutions that governments can later adopt and scale.
At its core, social strategy turns shared understanding into coordinated action — building trust, alignment, and momentum for change.
At The La Jolla Center, we help these coalitions take shape and make an impact across the Pacific.
What is social strategy?
In this video, Executive Director Blaine Worthington explains what a strategy is and how Social Strategy can be used to empower coordinated action for change.