FORT BONIFACIO, Metro Manila – The Philippine Army (PA) together with the United States Army Pacific (USARPAC) concluded the 44th Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar (IPAMS) and 6th Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum here today, November 18, 2020.
The seminar, with Army leaders from Indo-Pacific nations which include Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, China, Chile, Cook Islands, Fiji, France, Polynesia, India, Indonesia, Japan, Kiribati, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Mongolia, Nauru, Nepal, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Niue, Korea, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and United States. The participants aimed to grasp new insights and best practices on how Armies can improve the relationship and core competencies amongst the Land Forces in addressing challenges of Indo-Pacific Armies in urban environments specifically on man-made disaster.
On the last day of the forum, Mr. Patrik Mahaney from the Columbia University and Mr. John Spencer from United States Military Academy Urban Warfare Studies talked about the Army’s role in supporting civilian authorities in the face of natural disasters and Armies rehabilitation post urban operations. At the same time, Maj. Gen. Atul Rawat the assistant Director General of Strategic Plan Directorate of Indian Army expanded the roles and scopes of Armed Forces in Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief. Baguio City Mayor and the Contract Tracing Czar of the Philippines Benjamin Magalong explained the importance of risk communication plans and contact tracing efforts in combatting COVID-19.
USARPAC Commander Gen. Paul J. LaCamera thanked the Army leaders, "The positive outcome of this conference will be visible to future actions of great armies and the nation of Indo-Pacific as we discuss executing operations in urban and mega cities would only continue to be more dynamic in the future as population grow, the climate changes, the pandemic emerge, and technologies evolve. I gained insight a great appreciation on how we are ready to address these challenges, and hope we are able to do the same. "
Commanding General Philippine Army Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana also expressed his gratitude to the participating Armies, “Today’s ceremony reflects our united goal to make Indo-Pacific a secure and stable region. This convergence demonstrated anew our resolve to mutually improve our respective Armies. For the past two days of discussion, we were able to grasp new insights and best practices on how we can improve the relationship and core competencies amongst our Land Forces.” #