“Indo-Pacific construct has come to occupy central space in geo-strategic campus”: Army Chief General Manoj Pande

New Delhi [India]: Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande on Tuesday said that the Indo-Pacific construct has come to occupy central space in the contemporary geo strategic campus in recent years while addressing the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) here in New Delhi.

“The Indo-Pacific construct has come to occupy central space in the contemporary geo strategic campus in recent years. It’s significance is a reflection of evolving dynamics in the political security, economic and environmental domains of today’s world, ” the Army Chief  said.

“This symposium serves as an shining example of what can be achieved when nations come together with a common purpose. The central theme of our deliberations stands for peace, sustaining peace and stability in the indo-pacific region”.

Gen Manoj Pande on Monday interacted individually with Chiefs of Armies who arrived here to attend the conference, officials said.

According to the officials of the Indian Army, the Army Chief interacted individually with them to deliberate on ways for further enhancing the Defence Cooperation between the respective Armies.

“The chiefs he met included Gen Morishita Yasunori of Japan, Gen Simon Stuart, Australian Army, US Army chief Gen Randy George, Vietnam Peoples’ Army’s Dy Chief of General Staff Lt Gen Mguyen Doan Anh & Lt Gen Peter Mbogo Njiru, Commander, Kenyan Army,” officials said.

Speaking at the conference the Army Chief further said that he was confident that the Symposium would be fruitful, leading to partnerships and vision for the Indo-Pacific becoming stronger and more enduring.

” The outcomes that we are endeavouring to achieve from this Symposium entail, several key issues. These are – evolving a shared vision for military cooperation, fostering a sense of collective responsibility, sharing best practices, appreciating areas and communities vulnerable to climate change and synergizing our approach to HADR response, increasing military exchange endeavours, progressing defence diplomacy initiatives, reinforcing the importance of open and sustained dialogue, to jointly address issues that impact us, and of course, taking forward the ideas we endorse during our deliberations” General Pande said.

The armies of India and the United States are hosting the 13th biannual (IPACC), the 47th annual Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS), the 9th Senior Enlisted Forum at the Manekshaw Center in the national capital over the next two days.

The gathering is notably the largest conference for land forces (army, marines, etc.) in the region.

The objective of these meetings is to promote peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region through mutual understanding, dialogue, and friendship. This year’s conference’s theme is “Together for Peace: Sustaining Peace and Stability in the Indo-Pacific Region.”

Army Chief General Manoj Pande spoke about the agenda for the two day conference in his inaugural address.

“The theme of this year’s event, ‘Together for Peace: Sustaining Peace and Stability in Indo-Pacific Region’ resonates deeply with the idea of a secure, stable, free, open and inclusive Indo-Pacific, which provides opportunities for growth for all Nations” General Pande said.

“Over the next two days, the agenda is both, diverse and wholesome. We shall deliberate on topics ranging from ‘sustaining peace’, ‘promoting stability’, ‘military diplomacy’, ‘need for self-reliance’, ‘cooperation in military training’ and ‘Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief’” the Army chief added.

“The challenges we face are significant, but so is our collective wisdom and strength. It is through open dialogue and exchange of ideas that we will find innovative solutions to the challenges” he further added.

Participation in IPAMS has grown from nine nations at the first conference held in Honolulu, Hawaii in 1977, to 31 nations in Seoul, Korea in 2017.

IPACC is now held every two years and is co-hosted by the United States Army and the hosting country. IPAMS is the longest-running land forces conference held every year.