The Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2025 (IPRD 2025) beginning on October 28 at the Manekshaw Centre in New Delhi focussed on the theme of ‘Promoting Holistic Maritime Security and Growth: Regional Capacity-Building and Capability-Enhancement’.
This year’s IPRD 2025 is the 7th successive edition of the Indian Navy’s apex-level international strategic outreach that brings together leaders, policymakers, practitioners, diplomats, the academia, and maritime experts from across the Indo-Pacific and beyond to address pressing issues in the vast expanse of the predominantly maritime Indo-Pacific.
The event began with an ‘inaugural address’ by Admiral Karambir Singh, former Chief of the Naval Staff, in which he noted the strategic turbulence in the maritime domain due to the effects of great power competition, the rise of non-state actors, and an intensification of non-traditional security challenges.
He advocated a cooperative maritime architecture to address these contemporaneous challenges. This was followed by an engrossing session with five distinguished speakers from Bangladesh, Japan, Indonesia, Singapore, and South Africa, who presented their perspectives on ‘Cooperative Capacity-Building and Capability-Enhancement to Address the Security Impacts of Climate-Change’.
The first day’s highlight was the ‘Commemorative Address’ by the Navy Chief, Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi, during which he emphasised the relevance of oceanic spaces, specifically the Indo-Pacific, for India’s economic growth and security.
Stressing that India’s maritime policy of MAHASAGAR envisions prosperity and security for all in the region, the Navy Chief advocated collaboration and cooperation as the principal means to achieve this end-state. Later, he also released a book titled ‘Future Maritime Warfare’, authored by Captain K.S. Vikramaditya, Indian Navy, and published by the National Maritime Foundation (NMF).
A specially-curated session, 'Chaupal ki Charcha', witnessed an engaging conversation between Vice Admiral Pradeep Chauhan, Director General, NMF, German Ambassador Dr Philipp Ackermann, Indra Mani Pandey, Secretary General, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), Vice Admiral Anne Cullere of the French Navy, and Captain Geordie Klein, the Netherlands’ Defence Attaché in New Delhi.
Bringing together a galaxy of apex-level leaders and renowned experts – including 40 distinguished speakers from 19 countries – the IPRD 2025 is being organised by the Indian Navy, in association with the National Maritime Foundation as its knowledge partner.