USARPAC Hosts Land Forces Dialogue on O'ahu Following LANPAC 2026

FORT SHAFTER, Hawaii - The U.S. Army in the Pacific hosted senior land forces leaders from Australia, Japan, the Philippines, and the U.S. Marine Corps for a Land Forces Dialogue (LFD) on Friday, May 15, 2026, on the island of O'ahu, fittingly known in the Hawaiian language as "the gathering place."

Hosted by Gen. Ronald Clark, Commanding General, U.S. Army Pacific (USARPAC), the dialogue brought together Lt. Gen. Simon Stuart, Chief of Army, Australian Army; Gen. Masayoshi Arai, Chief of Staff, Japan Ground Self-Defense Force; Maj. Gen. Joseph Passamonte, Commander, 7th Infantry Division, Philippine Army; and Maj. Gen. Matthew Mowery, Deputy Commanding General, U.S. Marine Corps Forces, Pacific.

The LFD followed the Land Forces Pacific (LANPAC) Symposium and Exposition 2026, where leaders from across the Indo-Pacific gathered under the theme "Prevailing through Transformation: Adapting, Innovating, and Modernizing Land Forces in the Indo-Pacific." LANPAC provided a unique opportunity to shape the future of landpower in one of the world's most dynamic and strategically vital regions.

As a premier forum for senior land forces leaders, the LFD enables participants to plan together and develop solutions to shared challenges. Aligning efforts across allied and partner armies generates a unified deterrent effect and reinforces stability throughout the Indo-Pacific.

Building on the momentum from the previous LFD held in Tokyo in December 2025, leaders recognized the need to advance more concrete combined cooperation among the four nations. Discussions emphasized sustaining positive momentum and enhancing multinational collaboration, with particular attention to shaping major multilateral exercises planned for upcoming years.

Participants highlighted the LFD as a vital platform for exchanging strategic perspectives and strengthening the professional relationships that underpin effective combined operations. In an increasingly complex security environment, the ability of land forces to execute in combined operations with allies and partners has never been more important.

Hosting the dialogue on O'ahu carried symbolic significance. As "the gathering place," the island once again served its namesake purpose by convening trusted allies and partners to strengthen the bonds of friendship and shared purpose that define the Strategic Landpower Network in the Indo-Pacific.
The Land Forces Dialogue underscores USARPAC's enduring commitment to working shoulder-to-shoulder with allies and partners to deliver decisive landpower effects and deter conflict across the Indo-Pacific.

The Land Forces Dialogue underscores USARPAC's enduring commitment to working shoulder-to-shoulder with allies and partners to deliver decisive landpower effects and deter conflict across the Indo-Pacific.