The 16th annual Indo-Pacific Intelligence Chiefs Conference (IPICC) 2023 kicked off, Sept. 10, bringing together directors of military intelligence from 20 countries to Vancouver, Canada to discuss regional issues and shared security challenges.

IPICC was co-hosted by the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command Director for Intelligence (J2), Rear Adm. Tom Henderschedt, and Canadian Forces Intelligence Command Chief of Defence Intelligence, Maj. Gen. Michael Wright.

The IPICC 2023 theme “Actioning Intelligence Partnerships to Preserve Sovereignty” highlighted a global concern for autonomy and emphasized the need for partnerships and role of intelligence in protecting a rules-based international order.

“The relationships forged and compounded by 16 years of the IPICC forum are key to enhancing international response and resolve when facing regional challenges,” said Henderschedt. “Our mission here, this week, is deciding how we should utilize these partnerships, committing them to action, in order to preserve a free, open, safe, and prosperous international system.”

Topics for this year’s conference included: cyber and the information domain, maritime security, lawfare and counter-lawfare, and various challenges to sovereignty and drivers of instability. Nine intelligence chiefs sat on panels discussing these topics and all partners shared their primary areas of security concern and intelligence priorities.

Also present at this year’s IPICC was Defense Intelligence Agency Director, Lt. Gen. Scott Berrier, and providing a keynote address, Deputy Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security, the Honorable Milancy Harris.

“We know that shared situational awareness among allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific is key to working collectively to deter conflict, and in the event of crisis or conflict, respond and operate together effectively”, said the Honorable Harris during her keynote address. “As was discussed yesterday, our partners are our asymmetric advantage, and this network of partners gathered here today is something that our competitors do not have. This is precisely why we are gathered here this week and why this forum is so important - to share our views and perspectives to reach a common understanding on areas of mutual concern.”

IPICC is an annual executive level forum for the directors of military intelligence from across the Indo-Pacific region and globe. IPICC is co-hosted by the US Indo-Pacific Command Director for Intelligence and a rotating partner nation in order 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 (CHoD). Participants in this year’s conference included Australia, Brunei, Canada, Fiji, France, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Republic of Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga, United Kingdom, United States, and Vietnam.