A Land Power in the Pacific conference is returning to Honolulu for the second year in a row April 8-10 with more than 30 countries invited.
The Association of the United States Army’s Institute of Land Warfare, with participation from U.S. Army Pacific and U.S. Pacific Command, is organizing the LANPAC forum with the same focus as last year: assuring security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific.
"Participants will explore, in depth, the concept of strategic land power and the future of the Asia-Pacific theater with valuable perspectives from U.S. military and civilian leaders, industry leaders and service leaders from allied countries in this very important region of the world," retired Gen. Gordon R. Sullivan, president of AUSA, said in a release.
Seven of the 10 largest armies in the world are in the Pacific theater, and 22 of the 27 countries in the region have an army officer as chief of defense, according to John R. Deni at the Army War College’s Strategic Studies Institute.
However, the Army has struggled to establish its place in the Pacific in a time of downsizing and a stated Pentagon goal of avoiding the type of foreign nation occupation operations that fell to the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Featured speakers will include Gen. Vincent K. Brooks, head of U.S. Army Pacific at Fort Shafter, along with Gen. Dennis Via, commander, U.S. Army Materiel Command; Vice Adm. Robert L. Thomas Jr., commander, U.S. 7th Fleet; Gen. Kiyofumi Iwata, chief of staff, Japan Ground Self Defense Force; Gen. Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, chief of staff, Bangladesh Army; Lt. Gen. Robert S. Ferrell, U.S. Army chief information officer; and Brig. Tim Gall, land component commander, Headquarters, Joint Forces, New Zealand.
Last year’s inaugural LANPAC forum was advertised as a way to "leverage the strategic location of Hawaii to bring together government and industry representatives."
More than 600 attended the symposium, including representatives from 17 countries, U.S. Army Pacific said.
The event, held last year and also this year at the Sheraton Waikiki Hotel, also will feature industry exhibits.
