CDS Anil Chauhan to attend the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore

Anil Chauhan, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), will represent India at the 22nd Shangri-La Dialogue, or the Asian Security Summit, to be held in Singapore from 30 May to 1 June 2025. 

No officials from the government of India attended the 21st edition of the Shangri-La Dialogue, held in 2024. Prime Minister Narendra Modi was the first Indian Prime Minister to attend the Dialogue in 2018.

During the Shangri-La Dialogue, CDS Anil Chauhan will speak on the ‘Future Wars and Warfare’ and ‘Defence Innovation Solutions for Future Challenges' sessions.

Background to the Shangri-La Dialogue 

The British strategist Sir John Chipman, who was the head of the London-based think tank International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), is credited with creating the Shangri-La Dialogue or the Asian Security Summit.

In the 1990s, he approached former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew about creating a forum for the Asia-Pacific region's defence ministers to discuss security and defence-related issues. 

Thus, the Asian Security Summit came into existence.

Shangri-La Dialogue or Asian Security Summit 

The Shangri-La Dialogue, or the Asian Security Summit, is considered a premier defence summit in Asia.

It brings together experts and policymakers from Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, and West Asia to discuss issues related to security in the region. It also provides an opportunity for countries to discuss bilateral security issues and explore new approaches for further cooperation.

Organiser of the Shangri-La Dialogue 

The annual Asian Security Summit, or the Shangri-La Dialogue, is organised by the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in association with the Singapore government. 

In 2002, the first Asian Security Summit was held at the Shangri-La Hotel in Singapore.

Since then, the hotel has become the permanent venue of the Asian Security Summit.

Since then, the Asian Security Summit has become popular as the Shangri-La Dialogue.

Utopia of Shangri-La

The Shangri-La is a mythical place in James Hilton's novel Lost Horizon. It is based on the Tibetan mythical Shambhala, a utopia of peace high in the mountains and cut off from the world.

The Shangri-La Dialogue attempts to provide such an environment for the countries of the Asia Pacific to discuss and find a solution to the region's security problems.