New Delhi, Dec 18 (IANS) Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi on Thursday virtually addressed the 3rd Land Forces Summit hosted by the Japan Ground Self-Defence Force (JGSDF), outlining India’s vision for deeper land power cooperation in the Indo-Pacific through the proposed ‘IKIGAI’ Framework. The high-level summit brought together Chiefs of Armies and senior military leaders from key Indo-Pacific nations, including Australia, Japan, the Philippines, Malaysia and the United States, reinforcing the growing emphasis on multilateral military cooperation amid evolving regional security dynamics.

In his address, General Dwivedi postulated the IKIGAI Framework as a comprehensive and structured roadmap aimed at enhancing Indo-Pacific land forces collaboration. Drawing from a shared regional outlook, the framework seeks to strengthen coordination, preparedness and trust among partner armies to address both traditional and non-traditional security challenges. The IKIGAI Framework rests on six core pillars. These include (I) Interoperability and Information Sharing, focusing on seamless coordination and intelligence exchange; (K) Knowledge and Professional Military Education, aimed at developing common understanding and leadership capabilities; (I) International Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, (G) Generative Technological Partnerships, (A) Assurance for Security Partnerships and (I) Integrated Logistics and Sustainment.

General Dwivedi further underlined three key pillars of convergence essential for meaningful multilateral engagement—Shared Diagnosis, Shared Principles, and Shared Actions. According to the Army Chief, the IKIGAI Framework reflects a common purpose among Indo-Pacific nations to harness collective land power in support of regional peace, stability and prosperity, while respecting sovereignty and international law.

He emphasised that the IKIGAI Framework reflects a common purpose among Indo-Pacific nations to harness collective land power in support of regional peace, stability and prosperity. The Land Forces Summit is a key multilateral platform designed to strengthen Army-to-Army defence cooperation through senior leadership engagements and structured Land Forces Dialogue. The forum plays a vital role in fostering mutual understanding, enhancing interoperability and building long-term partnerships among participating nations, amid an increasingly complex Indo-Pacific security environment.