 "Rajnath calls for collective efforts to address Indo-Pacific complexities")
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, addressing the Army chiefs of the Indo-Pacific, has called for collective wisdom to deal with the region’s complexities, while tapping its full potential.
Singh was delivering the inaugural address at the 13th Indo-Pacific Armies Chiefs’ Conference (IPACC) in New Delhi on Tuesday. India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Army Staff General Manoj Pande, and Army chiefs and delegates of 35 Indo-Pacific countries were present in the audience.
Singh said the Indo-Pacific was no longer a maritime construct, but a full-fledged geo-strategic construct that faces complex security challenges, including boundary disputes and piracy.
The defence minister explained his vision through a theoretical model by American author Stephen Covey, which is based on two circles — “Circle of Concern” and “Circle of Influence”.
The “Circle of Concern” encompasses issues that one cares about, including both things that can be controlled and things that cannot. It includes external factors such as global events, economic conditions, other people's opinions, weather and many other aspects of life.
In contrast, the “Circle of Influence” comprises issues over which one has direct control or can exert some influence. It may involve your attitudes, behaviours, decisions, relationships and actions.
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Applying this model to the domain of international relations, Singh said: “There may be instances when the “circles of concern” of different nations overlap with each other. International maritime trade routes passing through the high seas, beyond the Exclusive Economic Zones of any country, are relevant examples. This can either result in conflict between nations or they can coexist by mutually deciding the rules of engagement.”
Singh said global issues involve multiple stakeholders and stressed the need to work collaboratively through diplomacy, international bodies and treaties to tackle common concerns within overlapping “circles of concern”.
He termed the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 1982, as a good example of an international agreement that establishes the legal framework for maritime activities and addresses the issues arising from overlapping “circles of concern”.
Simultaneously, Singh felt that states must identify and seek to expand their “circle of Influence” to promote national interests on the global stage. This may involve building partnerships, participating in regional organisations, and employing diplomatic, economic or military tools strategically.
“This conference is an exercise where we all are trying to expand our “circles of influence”, while harmonising the overlaps of our “circles of concern,” he said.
Singh termed the IPACC, Indo-Pacific Armies Management Seminar, and Senior Enlisted Leaders Forum as the largest brainstorming events of land forces in the region. The Indian Army and the United States Army are co-hosting these from Monday to Wednesday, providing an opportunity for senior-level land forces leaders, primarily of the Indo-Pacific region, to exchange ideas and views on security and contemporary issues.
He reiterated India’s stand for a free, open, inclusive, and rules-based Indo-Pacific Region in the pursuit of shared security and prosperity.
The minister defined “neighbourhood first” as a cornerstone of India’s culture since time immemorial. He repeated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision: “Our engagement in the Indo-Pacific is based on five ‘S’: Sammaan (respect), Samvad (dialogue), Sahyog (co-operation); Shanti (peace), and Samridhi (prosperity).”