US Pacific Command chief Adm Paparo meets India’s top military leaders as defence partnership expands across services
Admiral Samuel J Paparo with Indian Army chief Gen Dhiraj Seth during engagements in New Delhi. (Image courtesy: X/@USAndIndia)
New Delhi: The US Pacific Command commander, Admiral Samuel J Paparo, joined India’s senior military leadership at the Roosevelt House in New Delhi during his ongoing six-day official visit. On Wednesday, he met the chief of defence staff, General NS Raja Subramani; chief of the Army staff, General Dhiraj Seth; vice-chief of the air staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit; chief of integrated defence staff Air Marshal Tejinder Singh; and other senior defence officials together.
The Montana governor, Greg Gianforte, also attended the gathering, which the US mission described as reflecting the growing strength of the India-US major defence partnership.
In a post on X, the US embassy said it was a “true pleasure” to host Admiral Paparo, Gianforte, Gen Raja Subramani, Gen Dhiraj Seth and other senior Indian defence officials at Roosevelt House. It said the USPACOM commander’s visit “highlights the growing strength of the US-India major defense partnership”.
The gathering forms part of a wider series of engagements during Adm Paparo’s visit, which began on October 3 and runs through October 8. His wider agenda includes digital transformation, emerging technologies, regional strategic stability, defence energy resilience and maritime security, as RNA Media reported earlier.
Earlier during his visit, Adm Paparo met senior Indian military leaders, with US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor highlighting the scale of the command he heads. In a post on X, Gor said, “Honoured to host Admiral Samuel Paparo in India. One of America’s most consequential military leaders, Admiral Paparo commands US Pacific Command, the nation’s oldest and largest geographic combatant command, overseeing approximately 400,000 military and civilian personnel across a region spanning roughly half the globe.”
Defence secretary talks focus on strategic cooperation
Adm Paparo also met the defence secretary, Rajesh Kumar Singh, in New Delhi on Tuesday. The two sides discussed strengthening India-US defence and strategic cooperation and exchanged views on regional and global issues, according to the defence ministry.
Adm Paparo has also met the eternal affairs minister, S Jaishankar, during the visit, with discussions covering the security partnership and maritime cooperation in the Indo-Pacific, as RNA Media reported earlier. His broader agenda includes digital transformation, emerging technologies, regional strategic stability, defence energy resilience and maritime security.
USPACOM is the US geographic combatant command responsible for military engagement and operations across a wide Indo-Pacific area. Gor said the command oversees about 400,000 military and civilian personnel across a region spanning roughly half the globe.
The visit comes as the two countries continue to build military-to-military cooperation through joint exercises, professional exchanges, information sharing and defence technology engagement. India and the US signed a new 10-year framework for the US-India major defence partnership in October 2025, providing policy direction for military activities, defence industrial cooperation and science and technology collaboration.
Recent bilateral military engagement has included exercises and senior-level consultations across the services, while Adm Paparo’s current visit has brought together defence ministry and military leadership channels at the same time.
No new defence agreement or procurement decision was announced in the available official readouts from the meetings. Adm Paparo’s visit remains focused on advancing the major defence partnership and military-to-military cooperation.
