The 15th annual Indo-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference (IPICC) concluded Sept. 1, bringing together directors of military intelligence from 20 countries across the Indo-Pacific region and abroad to discuss security issues of shared concern. For the second consecutive year, IPICC was co-hosted by U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) and the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF).

IPICC is an annual executive level forum co-hosted by USINDOPACOM’s Director for Intelligence and a rotating partner nation to foster shared understanding of regional issues, and advance multilateral and regional security cooperation on areas of interest to each state’s respective Chief of Defense.

This year’s IPICC theme, “Strengthening our Defense Intelligence Network of Allies and Partners,” emphasized the integral role our allies and partners play in the shared vision for a free and open Indo-Pacific. 

“Our relationships are the foundational bedrock of working towards a safe, secure, and prosperous Indo-Pacific region,” said Rear Adm. Tom Henderschedt, Director for Intelligence at USINDOPACOM. “When we strengthen our alliances, we amplify our ability to address challenges and disrupt threats before they can reach our shores. IPICC is an opportunity to openly discuss our challenges and concerns, and to collectively identify solutions.” 

Topics for this year’s conference included security challenges in the Indian Ocean Region, geo-political trends impacting the Indo-Pacific region, maritime security and transnational crime, lessons from a revisionist partnership, and the role of intelligence in information warfare.

Brig. Gen. Abdulla Zuhury, Director General of Defence Intelligence for the MNDF and IPICC co-host, eluded to these topics as primary multifaceted concerns among IPICC partners.

“The Indo-Pacific region is experiencing unprecedented challenges,” said Zuhury. “The strategic and security environment today is highly volatile and ambiguous with complex threats and uncertainty. The threats are hybrid in nature and highly interconnected.”

Throughout the plenary sessions, IPICC partners discussed their security concerns and shared interests, many of which could be best addressed collectively with neighbors and partners.

Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, amplified this sentiment during his closing ceremony remarks.

“We can’t act on climate change alone, we can’t address maritime security alone, we can’t combat violent extremists alone, we can’t address strategic competition alone, we can’t maintain a rules-based international order alone,” said Berrier. “In short, we can’t pretend we live in different worlds. What happens in Asia matters to the United States.”

Participants in this year’s conference included Australia, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, France, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Maldives, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.