Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, chief of the US Indo-Pacific Command, just returned from a critical visit to India, where he sought to strengthen military ties and renew a fundamental defence framework between the two countries. From March 16 to 19, Paparo conducted four high-level meetings with Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan.
The discussions focused on strengthening the US-India strategic alliance and expanding future defence collaboration. Paparo’s visit is part of a larger US-India program called COMPACT, which was announced in February to promote partnerships in defence, trade, technology, and energy. The renewal of the Major Defence Partnership, which was established in 2016 to provide India with access to advanced US military technologies, was a crucial component of the negotiations.
With the deal scheduled to expire next year, both parties are pushing to extend it for another decade. During his visit, Paparo took part in the Raisina Dialogue, India’s flagship global strategic event. On the sidelines, defence officials from the Quad nations (India, the United States, Australia, and Japan) addressed security cooperation.
