The Australian Army chief, Lt Gen Simon Stuart, who is on a five -day visit to India since Sunday, has trained in collaboration with COAS General Upendra Dwivedi at United States Army War College during 2015, “According to an official statement of the Indian Army,” a professional bond that has matured with their respective careers, “.
Lieutenant General Stuart arrived in Delhi on Sunday evening.
The statement said, “The shared educational background not only provides a strong foundation for the mutual trust, but also paves the way for more meaningful cooperation between the two armies,” the statement states.
Significantly, the journey will also be reunited by two military professionals, whose shared past strengthens the foundation of India -Australia defense relations.
In detail on the field of defense diplomacy, the statement states that in the field, seeds often sow seeds for participation with political cycles and strategic changes to share training experiences among military leaders. It said that when military commanders take training simultaneously in their formal or mid-career stages, they not only develop professional capacity, but also develop a deep, personal understanding of each other’s countries, cultures and armed forces. This “alumni connect” strategic soft power becomes a unique means of building trust, which facilitates clear dialogue and enables spontaneous cooperation in both peace and crisis.
The statement stated that India’s major military institutions such as the Indian Military Academy (IMA), the National Defense College (NDC), the Defense Services Staff College (DSSC), and the National Defense Academy (NDA) welcomed the officials of friendly abroad (FFCs) for decades. Many of these alumni have increased to the highest rank among their terrorists, becoming ambassadors in uniforms for India’s professional ethos.
His network includes – in Sri Lanka – 8 senior officials, including current and retired head trained in India; In Nepal – 9 senior officials; In Bangladesh – 6 senior officials; In Malaysia – 6 senior officials; In Bhutan – 2 senior officers; In Nigeria – 3 senior officials and in Australia – 2 senior officers.
Notable examples include Sri Lankan Army head, IMA an alumnus and Artillery School, and Sri Lankan CDS, NDC graduates. Bhutan, Nepal, Bangladesh, Maldives, France, Tanzania, South Korea, New Zealand, Namibia, Kenya, Fiji and Thailand’s leading commanders and others also share this common bond with the Indian Army.
This alumni works in both ways. Indian authorities have also participated in reputed institutions abroad in Army War College (USA), Royal College of Defense Studies (UK), Ecole de Guerre (France), who bring back the global approach, creating a permanent relationship with their peers abroad.
The statement further states that this is not one-way exchange. Indian Army officers have been shaped by professional military education abroad- Field Marshals KM Kariyappa and Shafj Maneksha were alumni of Imperial Defense College, UK, while General Upendra Dwivedi attended the Army War College, USA. Such exchanges equipped the authorities with a shared vocabulary to resolve the extensive strategic approach, operational best practices and global security challenges.
Recognizing its diplomatic value, the Indian Army has started to formalize the initiative of connecting alumni, maintaining databases, conducting reunion, and thinking of thinking tank collaborations such as Land Warfare Studies (claws) and recently renewed MOUs with a five -year MOU have started to encourage continuous concentrations with Australian Army Research Center (AARC). Digital platforms such as “Friends for Life” portal are also being discovered to tie long, when the syllabus photos have faded.
The statement said that in today’s complex security environment, where partnership should balance strategic competition with cooperation, “Eleumni is more than Nostalgia, a strategic environment.” Officers who once share barracks and classes, now sit in conversation tables or lead joint operations, carry them with trusts and mutual honors during their training days.
The army said in a statement, “As India has desired to play a big role in regional and global security architecture from India-Pacific to United Nations, the calm, permanent impact of these individual bonds will become an indispensable tool of military diplomacy,” the army said in the statement.
“In the language of soldiers, the trust built in fatigue remains throughout the lifetime and in the language of diplomacy, it often lasts longer”, the statement was concluded. (AI)
