Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir held high-level discussions with senior political and military leaders during his official trip to the United States, as per a statement released by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Sunday.
The military’s media wing confirmed that the COAS is in the US on an official visit, where he also met with members of the Pakistani diaspora.
In Tampa, COAS Munir attended the retirement ceremony for the outgoing Commander of United States Central Command (Centcom), General Michael E Kurilla, and the Change of Command Ceremony for the new commander, Admiral Brad Cooper.
“The COAS commended General Kurilla’s exemplary leadership and his invaluable contributions to strengthening bilateral military cooperation. He also extended his best wishes to Admiral Cooper, expressing confidence in continued collaboration to address shared security challenges,” the statement noted.
The army chief also met with Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, to discuss matters of mutual professional interest. Field Marshal Munir extended an invitation to General Caine to visit Pakistan. On the sidelines of his engagements, the COAS also interacted with defense chiefs from various friendly nations.
During a session with the Pakistani diaspora, the COAS urged them to maintain confidence in Pakistan’s promising future and to play an active role in attracting investment. The diaspora, in turn, reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Pakistan’s progress and development.
This visit follows an earlier official trip to the US in June, where Field Marshal Munir had a luncheon with President Donald Trump. Their meeting, which lasted over two hours, covered expanding bilateral cooperation in various sectors, including trade, economic development, mines and minerals, artificial intelligence, energy, cryptocurrency, and emerging technologies.
Following the army chief’s visit, Pakistan and the US finalized a much-anticipated trade agreement. President Trump confirmed the deal on social media, stating that the two countries would “work together on developing their massive oil reserves” and were “in the process of choosing the oil company” to lead the partnership.
In a related event in July, President Asif Ali Zardari conferred the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) on Centcom Commander Gen Kurilla in recognition of his exceptional service to regional peace and his efforts to enhance Pakistan-US defense cooperation. During his visit to Pakistan, General Kurilla had detailed meetings with senior Pakistani civil and military leadership, including President Zardari and COAS Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. Their discussions focused on regional security, military-to-military engagement, and collaborative efforts to combat terrorism and emerging transnational threats.
