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January 3, 2001
   
Military leaders from 17 countries met in Hawaii in early November for the 3rd annual Chiefs of Defense conference. Russia attended for the first time, but India (which had attended the last conference) was notably absent. China has never attended, regarding the talks as some kind of dangerous American plot. The 16 Chiefs of Staff (and one deputy chief of staff) discussed a wide range of issues including piracy, safety, de-escalating conflicts, and cooperation on disaster relief and rescue missions.--Stephen V Cole