Over 800 foreign, local representatives to attend Defence Seminar

(MENAFN- Colombo Gazette)

The Sri Lanka Army-initiated interactive and intellectual forum, 'Colombo Defence Seminar,' slated to discuss a wide range of geo-strategic security concerns with special focus on regional issues, came into being a few years ago bridging in fact a long-felt gap that prevailed particularly in the aftermath of Sri Lanka's sustained fight against world's one of the most ruthless terror outfits and also in the whole of the southern hemisphere.

This year's meet in Colombo, scheduled during 28-29 August at the BMICH is the 7th in sequence, expected to draw a packed audience of 800 foreign and local representatives, analysts, advisers and subject experts in the defence sector, including 15 foreign and 12 local speakers. All Army chiefs in SAARC countries, adding a new dimension to the seminar, have also been invited.

This year's two-day sessions would deliberate on the theme, 'Countering Violent Extremism: Global Trends', a topic that underlines contemporaneous security issues unfolding in many corners of the world in the wake of fast spreading violent extremist trends which appear to be increasingly interconnected and unpredictable, posing threats to respective statecraft and national security concerns.

It is in this backdrop, efforts were launched by the Army to reach a comprehensive understanding of the multiplicity of challenging security issues, many of which remain influenced and are apparently borne out as the end-result of radical ideologies of religious, political or social relevance. Such dialogue with an avowed objective of formulating a collective and assertive approach to resist such violent threats in close consultation with global defence partners, is therefore considered a need of the hour.

'Colombo Defence Seminar - 2017' as an umbrella that collects world-wide defence partners, strategists, policy-makers and analysts together, capable of collectively assessing rapidly changing global trends, ways and means of countering such violent threats, is set to harness diverse opinions, intellect, skills and technical know-how, essential for formulation of dynamic policy decisions to kick start required mechanisms during the segmented panel discussions on the final day.

Aimed at accommodating a wider discourse with scholars and promoting intellectual connectivity among regional and global partners, the 'Colombo Defence Seminar - 2017' provides an ideal platform for exchange of experiences and expertise with focus on formulation of collective mechanisms to counter such extremism. Such discussions would also inevitably stimulate stakeholders, dedicated to promote positive alertness to the process of learning strategies. The Seminar is also poised to muster serious attention on root causes that have so far wreaked havoc in nations, and highlight the significance of addressing those sprouts for sustenance of durable global peace and the healthy conduct of statecraft.

This year's meticulously-segmented Seminar sessions are expected to shed light on sub themes, 'Violent Extremism', 'Countering Violent Extremism', 'The Role of Armed Forces in Countering Violent Extremism', and 'Mechanism to Counter Violent Extremism' supplemented with topical subjects such as 'Challenges and Dilemmas, National Perspectives - East Asia and West Asia', 'Role of Regional Organizations', 'Impact of Global Governance', 'Legal Implications', 'Intelligence Cyber Challenges and Strategies', 'Specific Tasks of Armed Forces and Civil-Military Relations', 'UN Strategies', 'Education Strategies in Internal Security', 'Public Diplomacy in Countering Violent Extremism', 'Balancing Hard Power and Soft Power', 'Role of Military in Global Governance', 'Empowering Communities to Counter Violent Extremism', 'Use of Fourth Generation Warfare to Counter Violent Extremism', etc.

The whole of the arrangement, organized by the Directorate of Training of the Army with the full cooperation of all other Directorates under the close supervision of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake, will thus open the floor for intellectual brainstorming, amid a gathering of intellectual calibre where a wide spectrum of equal interests meet together.

Several prominent and reputed foreign scholars and experts, committed to the security of nations have been billed to address the attendees during this year's discourses of intellectual, regional and global significance.

Stimulating critical thinking on those vital matters of security concerns after selection of a relevant topical theme, like the 'Countering Violent Extremism: Global Trends', this flagship project of the Sri Lanka Army calendar of events, which has by now carved a niche for itself in the international arena, is unarguably a fountain of academic parley, supplemented with an ocean of intellect, genuinely committed to build global partnerships through discussions.

Among the host of distinguished invitees and contributors to the Seminar are High Commissioners, foreign and local politicians, security advisors, defence strategists and think-tanks from countries across the globe.

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