Overview

• Hosted by the Indian Army from October 14–16, the forum features addresses by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and UN peace operations chief Jean-Pierre Lacroix.
• Delegations include 15 chiefs and 17 vice-chiefs, with plenaries focused on operational challenges, evolving threats, interoperability, inclusivity, technology and training.
• A defence and technology exhibition, bilateral meetings and cultural exchanges are scheduled to showcase capacity-building and defence manufacturing.
• On the eve of the event, Indian Army chief General Upendra Dwivedi met French Army chief General Pierre Schill to reaffirm defence ties and stress greater interoperability in UN missions.
• India highlights its long-standing contribution to peacekeeping, noting about 290,000 personnel sent over seven decades and several thousand currently deployed across active missions.