New Delhi: US Army’s Chief of Staff General Randy George on Tuesday said the partnership between the US and Indian Army is vital for stability in the Indo-Pacific and the relationship between the armies is strong and growing stronger.
General George along with 17 other Army chiefs have arrived in New Delhi to attend the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC). The armies of India and the United States will host the 13th biannual Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference (IPACC), the 47th annual Indo-Pacific Army Management Seminar (IPAMS), the 9th Senior Enlisted Forum at the Manekshaw Center in the national capital from September 25-27.
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.
The US Army chief said: “Our soldiers are sharpening their skills, mastering their craft and learning from each other. They are building trust and deepening the friendship between our armies. We all know how important trust and friendship are in a challenging global security environment. Having great allies and partners is more important than ever before.”
The remarks by George came during a joint press briefing with Chief of Army Staff of the Indian Army General Manoj Pande.
General George further said: “We are here at IPACC to talk about the role of land power. It not only contributes to our shared security, land power is decisive. Our land power network, the network that General Manoj Pande and I and all of our fellow chiefs are building here at IPACC is a security architecture that binds this region together and leads to unity and collected commitment across the region. And that unity and commitment are the best deterrence.”
As per the US Army chief, the character of war is changing, and they all have to talk about how to strengthen their profession, the trust between the leaders in the land and standards and discipline.
"We do these things, and we do them together, we deepen our unity and collective commitment, and that is how together we maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific," he said. Speaking at the conference Army Chief General Manoj Pande said that the cooperation between land forces was critical.
"Cooperation amongst our land forces is a critical component of the collective response through bilateral and multilateral engagements between components of Armed forces of nations have been ongoing...the theme of this year's event together for peace, sustaining peace and stability in the Indo-pacific region resonates deeply with the idea of a secure, stable, free open and inclusive Indo-pacific which provides opportunities for growth of all nations" General Pande said. The theme of this year’s IPACC is “Together for Peace: Sustaining Peace and Stability in the Indo-Pacific Region.”
There will be both larger plenary sessions and more intimate break-out sessions at the conference. Participants will take part in vibrant conversations on subjects including peacekeeping operations, humanitarian aid/disaster relief, leadership development, and women's emancipation as well as hear from eminent guest speakers.
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. In 2014, the SELF was added allowing senior enlisted members to experience the same fellowship, discussion and sharing opportunities, but from a different perspective, the US Embassy release read.
Meanwhile, Indian Army Chief Gen Manoj Pande on Monday interacted individually with Chiefs of Armies who arrived in New Delhi to attend the Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference 2023. 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 Nguyen Doan Anh & Lt Gen Peter Mbogo Njiru, Commander, Kenyan Army," officials said. "Discussions on a collaborative approach for strategic & constructive partnership to promote peace & stability in the Indo-Pacific region were also carried out during the interactions," they added. —ANI
