Defence Services Command and Staff College

SOUTH ASIA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF COMMANDANTS -2023 HOSTED AT DSCSC

The second South Asia International Conference of Commandants was held on 14 and 15 February in a grand demeanor. The Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC), Sri Lanka, in collaboration with Joint Forces Command and Staff College, United Kingdom organized the event. The topics on varied disciplines offered a fantastic glimpse into the current position and future of Professional Military Education (PME).

The welcome remarks were made by the Commandant of the DSCSC, Maj Gen Lasantha Rodrigo RSP psc IG and the Keynote Speech was delivered by Mr. Lalith Weeratunga on “Why Professional Military Education is Important, an Overview of PME with regional perspective”. In his speech Mr. Lalith Weeratunga said:

“Inspirational leaders of today lead not by the virtue of their position but by inspiring their employees to challenge themselves for a greater cause – a vision. Visionary companies paid particular attention to cultivating excellent cultures and adhering to an ideology that transcends the pursuit of profits. As a leader, you may have an extraordinary vision for the employees you lead. However, if you are unable to articulate this vision effectively, you will not be able to inspire the people who work for you. This will also help young officers become easily integrated into any situation. Leaders today are expected to thrive in volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (VUCA) environments. Stakeholder relationships and processes within and around organizations have become increasingly dynamic and unpredictable. In order to thrive in the VUCA world, the armed services personnel must be consistently aware of the changing trends around them and plan their strategies early, to remain flexible and agile”.

Major General Md Faizur Rahman, Major General Amer Ahsan Nawaz (Virtually connected), Major General Lasantha Rodrigo, Major General Andrew Roe, and Brigadier General Waheed Wais as observer, representing the staff colleges of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, United Kingdom, and Maldives respectively partook in the conference adding much glamour.

Exchanging and sharing views on contemporary aspects of professional military education and enhancing cooperation in matters related to mutual interest were the main objectives of the symposium. The Commandants of participating countries and few intellectuals from UK exchanged their ideas on Delivering Education in the 21^st Century, Future Classrooms and Future Education, Digitisation, Educating Generation Z, Resilience, Economic Warfare, Research Hub and DARE update, Military Ethics in PME.

The cultural show performed by the dancing troupe of the Sri Lanka army left a footprint on the true identity of Sri Lanka in visiting high profile military delegation. The exchange of plaques and souvenirs at the end of the two-day session culminated the second South Asia International Conference of Commandants on a high and grand note strengthening the bond for mutual cooperation in the field of Professional Military Education (PME) among South Asian military institutions.

2023 South Asian International Conf of Comdt