Pakistan, US deepen military engagement amid renewed defence ties

Military-to-military relations between Pakistan and the United States appear to be gaining new momentum, marked by joint training exercises, major defence sales and unusually positive public remarks from US President Donald Trump about Pakistan’s military leadership.

According to a statement from the US Central Command (Centcom), American and Pakistani troops this week concluded a joint training programme at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center in Pabbi.“This week, US and Pakistan Army soldiers completed training at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center during Exercise Inspired Gambit, which focused on combined infantry skills and tactics, and counterterrorism operations,” Centcom said. “Training exercises like this strengthen our long-standing defense ties.” The exercise comes amid broader signs of renewed engagement between the two defence establishments.

In December, Washington approved the sale of advanced technology and upgrade packages for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft, a deal valued at approximately $686 million. The approval followed heightened regional tensions after Pakistan and India fought a brief but intense five-day conflict in May 2025.

Pakistan is believed to operate between 70 and 80 F-16s, including upgraded Block-15 aircraft, former Jordanian jets, and newer Block-52+ models. US officials have long described the F-16 programme as a cornerstone of bilateral military cooperation.

Political signalling from Washington has also drawn attention. President Trump has repeatedly praised Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, referring to him publicly as his “favourite field marshal.”At a year-end news briefing on December 31, Trump said Pakistani leaders had credited him with preventing a wider catastrophe following the India-Pakistan conflict.“The head of Pakistan and a highly respected general — he is a field marshal — and also the prime minister of Pakistan said that President Trump saved 10 million lives, maybe more,” Trump said.

During the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit on the Middle East in October 2025, Trump also acknowledged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif before again referring to Field Marshal Munir. These remarks marked at least the tenth instance since June that Trump publicly praised Pakistan’s army chief.

In June 2025, Trump hosted Field Marshal Munir at the White House for a lunch meeting — the first time a sitting US president formally received the head of Pakistan’s army. The meeting took place amid growing friction with India over Trump’s repeated claim that he personally helped halt the May conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Analysts say Washington’s renewed focus on the Middle East, particularly Gaza and Iran, combined with the performance of Pakistan’s air force during the May conflict, has encouraged the US to rebuild ties with Pakistan’s defence establishment. Pakistan has also signalled its willingness to participate in a US-led international stabilisation force for Gaza, a controversial proposal advanced by Trump, underscoring Islamabad’s interest in closer security cooperation.Once a key US ally, Pakistan was designated a major non-NATO ally after the September 11, 2001 attacks.

Relations later deteriorated as US officials accused Islamabad of duplicity during the war on terror. However, Trump has struck a markedly different tone in his second term. In March, while addressing a joint session of Congress, he publicly thanked Pakistan for arresting one of the alleged perpetrators of the Abbey Gate bombing at Kabul airport in August 2021, which killed 13 US service members.Recent joint exercises, arms sales and high-level engagement suggest that defence ties between Washington and Islamabad are entering a new, more pragmatic phase.