“The Indo-Pacific is no more a maritime construct, but a full-fledged geo-strategic construct, and the region is facing a complex web of security challenges, including boundary disputes and piracy,” said Defence Minister Rajnath Singh to roll out the two-day long 13th Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC) on Tuesday.

Singh’s assertion was preceded by Indian Army Chief General Manoj Pande discounting that the IPACC grouping could be construed as a “military alliance” or “an initiative” against a country, hinting at China with whom India continues to have a challenging border situation along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in eastern Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh besides PLA vessels occasionally emerging as maritime irritants.

Rather, the IPACC along with two other parallel events — Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS) & Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum (SELF) — are a “multilateral forum aimed at bringing together military leadership to share certain common concerns” for a safe and secure Indo Pacific, General Pande narrated to a poser on China’s assertion in the region.

‘Critically important’

US Army chief General Randy George on his turn to respond to another query on China said the Indo- Pacific region is “critically important” and a “priority” for them, and, for that reason, they are here for the conclave. The US army “exercise more than anywhere else in the Pacific,” stated General Randy George, who was sharing the dais with General Pande in the joint press briefing held before the start of the conference . Interestingly, General George, earlier in his address to media, stated that it was appropriate that India was hosting this Indo Pacific land forces event “because your leadership role in this region is absolutely critical”.

Meanwhile, In his welcome address, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh stated the IPACC, IPAMS and SELF as one of the largest brainstorming events of land forces in the region. These events provide a unique opportunity to build common perspectives towards a shared vision and build and strengthen partnerships in the spirit of collaborative security for all, he said.

The Army chiefs of India and US are co-hosts of the events. Over the two-days, the delegates, comprising 20 chiefs of armies of 30 countries, will engage and ideate at three different tiers, as per General Pande. At tier-1 , the Army Chief’s Conclave will witness discussions on the security dynamics and the macro construct of synergised strategy for effecting ‘peace’ and ‘stability’ in the region, he explained.

Joint exercises

At tier-2, the Operational Military Commanders will engage in discussions on joint exercises, interoperability, sub-regional perspectives, best practices, lessons learnt by participant nations and coordination between our forces, to address specific response contingencies. Finally, tier-3 interactions will involve the senior enlisted leaders, who form the cutting-edge of Armies.

The Indo Pacific’s geo political importance has grown due to the challenges many of the countries are facing because of growing assertion from China.