US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor hosted Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the US Pacific Command, at a high-level dinner in New Delhi as part of the Admiral’s visit to India from 5 to 8 October.

The engagement formed part of broader efforts aimed at strengthening the US-India Major Defence Partnership and enhancing military-to-military cooperation between the two countries.

Held at Roosevelt House, the gathering brought together senior military and strategic leadership from both nations at a time when Washington and New Delhi are seeking to deepen collaboration across defence, security, technology and regional stability initiatives.

Gor described Admiral Paparo as one of America’s most consequential military leaders and noted that he commands the United States’ oldest and largest geographic combatant command. The command oversees approximately 400,000 military and civilian personnel across a vast area covering roughly half of the globe.

The US Ambassador stated that the event underscored the importance of the bilateral defence relationship and provided an opportunity for senior officials from both countries to engage on shared strategic priorities.

Among the Indian military leaders present were 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 and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff Air Marshal Tejinder Singh, along with other senior defence officials.

According to the US Embassy, the evening demonstrated the growing strength, ambition and significance of the US-India Major Defence Partnership, which has continued to expand through greater defence cooperation, interoperability, advanced technology engagement and regional security coordination.

Admiral Paparo’s visit is also expected to include discussions with Indian counterparts on a range of shared priorities, including maritime security, emerging and critical technologies, digital transformation, strategic stability and defence energy resilience. These areas have increasingly become central pillars of the evolving strategic relationship between the two countries.

The US Embassy noted that Admiral Paparo was recently featured on the cover of TIME magazine in a profile examining his role in maintaining American military readiness in the Indo-Pacific and strengthening deterrence across the region.

Also attending the dinner was Montana Governor Greg Gianforte, who is visiting India with a delegation representing business and industry interests. His presence highlighted the growing economic dimension of the bilateral relationship and the increasing role of American states, companies and innovators in expanding trade, investment and commercial cooperation with India.

The Embassy emphasised that the event reflected the broadening scope of US-India ties, where expanding defence cooperation is increasingly complemented by stronger economic engagement, technology partnerships and strategic coordination across the Indo-Pacific.

The visit comes amid continuing efforts by both nations to build a future-ready partnership capable of addressing emerging security challenges, strengthening maritime cooperation and supporting a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region. The United States has repeatedly described India as a key strategic partner in the region, while both countries continue to deepen collaboration across defence, economic and technological domains.

ANI