Context: Recently, the Indian Vice-President addressed Chanakya Defence Dialogue in New Delhi.

Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2023: Fortifying Regional Security in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific

• Introduction: Chanakya Defence Dialogue (CDD) serves as a forum to enhance national and regional security by discussing contemporary issues, including the impact of emerging technologies. 
  • By evaluating existing structures and collaborating with like-minded nations, CDD helps India address emerging threats and challenges, catering to the strategic and defense community, academia, and leading think tanks.
  • This is the first event of its kind being organised by the Indian Army.
• Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2023: Securing Tomorrow’s Peace
  • Date: 3rd & 4th November 2023.
  • Location: Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi.
  • Organizers: Indian Army in partnership with Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS).
• Forging Regional Security: Strengthening India’s Role in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific
  • The Dialogue’s objective is to analyze security challenges in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
  • The primary goal is to create a roadmap for collaborative security measures in the region.
  • The aim is to strengthen India’s role as a significant stakeholder in the region.
  • Regular Event: Chanakya Defence Dialogue is planned to be a regular event steered by the Indian Army in the years ahead. 
  • The Indian Army has embarked on a journey where defence, strategy, and collaborative partnership converge to forge a secure, stable, and prosperous future in the vibrant landscape of South Asia and the Indo-Pacific.
• Enhancing India’s Regional Leadership in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific
  • Comprehensive Analysis: The Dialogue aims to carry out a comprehensive analysis of security challenges in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific with a focus on crafting a roadmap for collaborative security measures in the region to fortify India’s position as a “ready, resurgent, and relevant” stakeholder in the region.
  • Roadmap for Collaborative Security: It will focus on crafting a roadmap for collaborative security measures in the region to fortify India’s position as a ready, resurgent, and relevant stakeholder among the nations of this region.
  • Platform for Analysis: Envisaged as a powerful platform, it aspires to meticulously analyze the multifaceted security challenges in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific and define a roadmap for collective security within the region.

The Dialogue will feature six sessions covering the following topics: 

1. Neighbourhood First: South Asia Prognosis.
2. Indo Pacific: The Decisive Frontier.
3. Collaborative Partnerships for Security.
4. How Emerging Technologies Impact Defence and Security.
5. Indian Defence Industry as Enabler for Collaborative Capacity Building.
6. Comprehensive Deterrence: The India Way.

Distinguished Voices: Speakers and Panelists at Chanakya Defence Dialogue 2023

• Indian Speakers:
  1. Dr. Arvind Virmani (Niti Aayog)
  2. Prof Ajay Kumar Sood (PSA to Govt of India)
  3. Ambassador V Misri (Deputy NSA)
  4. Ambassador DB Venkatesh Varma
  5. Lieutenant General Subrata Saha (Retired)
  6. Lieutenant General DS Hooda (Retired)
  7. Lieutenant General Prakash Menon (Retired)
  8. Ambassador Vijay K Gokhale
  9. Ambassador Ashok K Kantha
  10. Admiral Sunil Lanba (Retired)
• Panelists from Abroad:
  1. Ms. Lisa Curtis (Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Security Program at CNAS)
  2. Dr. Satoru Nagao (Japan)
  3. Dr. Paco Milhiet (France)
  4. Ambassador Shamsher M Chowdhury (Bangladesh)
  5. Mr. Asanga Abeyagoonasekera (Sri Lanka)
  6. Mr. Chiran Jung Thapa (Nepal)
  7. Vice Admiral Amarulla Octavian (Indonesia)
  8. Dr. R. De Castro (The Philippines)

Raisina Dialogue 2023: Navigating Global Turbulence

• About: The Raisina Dialogue is a multilateral conference held annually in New Delhi, India. 
  • It is India’s flagship conference on geopolitics and geo-strategy. 
  • The conference has been held since 2016. 
• Organizer: The Raisina Dialogue is organized by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with the Observer Research Foundation (ORF). 
• 2023 Edition: 8th edition of the Raisina Dialogue was held from March 2–4, 2023. 
• Theme of the 2023 edition: “Provocation, Uncertainty, Turbulence: Lighthouse in the Tempest”. 
• Prime Minister of Italy Giorgia Meloni joined the inaugural session as the Chief Guest.