CDS Anil Chauhan to address Singapore's Shangri La Dialogue on Saturday

Singapore: India's Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Anil Chauhan is in Singapore for the 22nd Shangri La Dialogue, one of the biggest defence fora being held here from Friday to Sunday.

During the crucial dialogue, Gen Chauhan will speak on the ‘Future Wars and Warfare’ on Saturday. He will then participate in the simultaneous special sessions and speak on the topic 'Defence Innovation Solutions for Future Challenges'.

Gen Chauhan is also scheduled to hold bilaterals with senior defence officials and military leaders from Australia, the EU, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the UK, and the US, officials said.

These interactions are expected to focus on strengthening military ties, enhancing defence cooperation, and addressing shared security challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.

Shangri La Dialogue is a mega defence event where defence experts will seek insights and understanding into India and Pakistan relations, according to South Asian observers.

French President Emmanuel Macron, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth will also address the dialogue, which is expected to see the participation of defence experts from 47 countries, including 40 minister-level delegates.

According to reports, China will not send Defence Minister Dong Jun to the annual dialogue, a departure from Beijing’s high-level representation at the annual security forum in recent years where issues related to the South China Sea were highlighted, often through presentations of views by US and Chinese experts.

Instead, a People’s Liberation Army National Defence University delegation will attend the three-day gathering that will hold intense deliberation on defence matters, especially the US-China stand on Taiwan and maritime jurisdiction in the South China Sea.

This will be the first time since 2019 that China is not sending its defence minister to the forum, according to a report by The Straits Times. This is also the first time a European leader, Macron being the first, will give the keynote address at the security forum.

Macron arrived in Singapore on Thursday as Singapore and France commemorate 60 years of diplomatic relations. Malaysian Prime Minister Ibrahim is set to make an address on Saturday.

US Defence Secretary Hegseth’s speech at the dialogue will be closely watched as he is expected to articulate the Trump administration’s defence approach for the Asia Pacific during a session titled “United States’ New Ambitions for Indo-Pacific Security”.

Hegseth and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Dan Caine, the country's highest-ranking military officer, are leading the US’ largest and “most robust” delegation to the dialogue in years, head of the US Embassy in Singapore, Casey Mace, said.

The US is committed to working with its allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific to ensure security and prosperity in the region, Mace said on Thursday.

Highlighting that the US delegation is a high-level one, he emphasised that “enduring American commitment and leadership in the region will make America and our allies and partners safer, more secure and more prosperous”.

The region is “a leading priority for US foreign policy”, he added. A total of seven plenary sessions and three special sessions are planned for the weekend.

The dialogue, being held since 2002 by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), discusses critical security challenges in the Asia-Pacific region. In 2024, it was attended by representatives from 45 countries.