CDS Gen Anil Chauhan to represent India at Shangri-La Dialogue 2025, strengthen defence diplomacy

New Delhi, May 29: Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan will be on a three-day official visit to Singapore from May 30 to June 1, 2025, to participate in the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue, the Ministry of Defence said.

Hosted annually by the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), the Shangri-La Dialogue is regarded as Asia’s premier defence and security summit. This year’s edition will convene defence ministers, military chiefs, policy makers, and strategic thinkers from around the world to address regional security challenges, particularly in the Indo-Pacific.

During the summit, General Chauhan is scheduled to engage in a series of bilateral meetings with his counterparts and senior military leadership from a wide spectrum of nations including Australia, the European Union, France, Germany, Indonesia, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States.

“These engagements will provide a platform to strengthen defence cooperation, discuss mutual security interests and enhance India's strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific region,” the Ministry of Defence said in a press release.

In addition to high-level military engagements, General Chauhan will deliver a keynote address to academics, strategic think tanks, and defence researchers on the theme ‘Future Wars and Warfare’. He will also speak in a special session on ‘Defence Innovation Solutions for Future Challenges’, reflecting India’s growing focus on military technology, indigenous capability development, and strategic foresight.

The presence of over 40 nations at the dialogue highlights the growing importance of the Indo-Pacific in global geopolitics. India's participation, led by its top military commander, comes at a time of shifting power dynamics and emerging security threats across the region.