After three days of collaborative panel discussions on peace, stability and mutual security, along with multiple displays of leading-edge technology, the fourth annual Land Forces Pacific Symposium and Exhibition, known as LANPAC, came to a close here yesterday.
With more than 1,600 attendees and nearly 80 industry representatives who provided interactive displays, 2016’s LANPAC continued to show steady growth since 590 people attended its debut in 2013. Twenty-six nations were represented this year, more than half of the U.S. regional partners in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.
LANPAC is a professional development forum sponsored by the Association of the U.S. Army’s Institute of Land Warfare. The symposium and exhibition provided unique opportunities, through panel discussions, for U.S. Army, State Department, joint and regional partners to discuss the critical roles of Pacific land forces.
“You don’t want to develop a relationship after a crisis -- it may be a little late at that point,” said Gen. Robert B. Brown, commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific. “Here, we get to share common challenges and we get to develop solutions together, and you develop these relationships that will pay off in the times of crisis. And so far, you can tell it has paid off. I haven’t heard dialogue this good in my 35 years of going to events like LANPAC.”
Success Requires Teamwork
Brown also said teamwork is necessary and critical to ensure everyone is successful throughout the Pacific. He summed up the importance of events like LANPAC using a football analogy.
“Coaches are going to talk plays and strategies, but you have to get on the field at some point,” Brown told reporters. “You have to scrimmage and work together. It’s the same way -- [you’ve] got to talk and get the issues out. It’s absolutely critical, and it binds us with our partners. We’re committed, and we know our regional partners are committed to peace and prosperity in the Pacific region. Some things you can do from a distance, but there’s nothing like being face to face in solving challenges and problems.”
The theme for this year’s LANPAC, “Assuring Stability and Security -- Strengthening Land Force Teams,” emphasized the purpose of land forces in the Pacific. Brown emphasized that land forces in the Pacific face a complex region with unconventional threats that cross national borders.
“We are all walking away from this symposium inspired to continue the great progress we are achieving in this region, where dialogue and mutual support are on the rise,” Brown said. “We have a better appreciation for our shared interests, shared challenges, and our shared future. And the friendships we established and strengthened these last few days will be the seeds for our continued and close cooperation in the days to come.”