HONOLULU – The 2017 Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium and Exhibition concluded a three-day conference May 25 in Honolulu with representatives from more than three-quarters of the U.S. partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region, including many chiefs of armies, in attendance.

“What a tremendous productive couple of days: 30 nations, over 1700 attendees, nine chiefs of Army attended," said Gen. Robert B. Brown, the U.S. Army Pacific commanding general. “When you look at eight panels and seven forums with industry partners where ideas are heard and exchanged, that is beneficial in itself.”

Overall, LANPAC 2017 provided an opportunity for land force commanders from the U.S., along with joint and regional partners, to include Australia, Fiji, Mongolia, and the Philippines, to discuss critical topics that affect security and cooperation across the Pacific, readiness of land forces, integration of those land forces into multiple domains, and the impact of people empowered by leadership and technology.

"I’m declaring that this is the best LANPAC ever," Brown said.

The theme for this year’s convention, “Land Forces in the Pacific: Advancing Joint and Multi-National Integration” highlighted the importance of joint and personal relationships between armies and nations. Lt. Gen. Thomas Vandal, Commanding General, Eighth Army, emphasized this in his closing remarks.

"Strong, personal relationships and investing time in those relationships is integral to providing mission command," Vandal said. “Time spent in building mutual trust allows us to work through complex challenges that could not be resolved if it’s strictly business.”

Since its modest beginnings, LANPAC has more than tripled the number of attendees, growing from 593 to over 1,700 people in attendance, a 350% percent increase since the first LANPAC conference in 2013. A sixth LANPAC Symposium and Exposition is planned in 2018. A date for this convention has not yet been set.

Featured videos of the LANPAC Symposium and Exhibition panel discussions can be found on the Defense Video & Imagery Distribution System at https://www.dvidshub.net/feature/lanpac.