Military-to-military ties between Pakistan and the United States appear to be strengthening, marked by renewed joint training, major defence sales and warmer public rhetoric from Washington toward Pakistan’s military leadership.
According to a statement issued by the US Central Command (Centcom), American and Pakistani troops this week concluded a joint training exercise at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center in Pabbi. The exercise, titled Inspired Gambit, focused on combined infantry skills, tactical coordination and counterterrorism operations.
This week, U.S. 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. Training exercises like this between the U.S. and… pic.twitter.com/z8eZNvPKLS
— U.S. Central Command (@CENTCOM) January 16, 2026
“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,” the Centcom statement said, adding that such engagements strengthen long-standing defence ties between the two countries.
The joint drills come amid broader signs of re-engagement between the defence establishments of Washington and Islamabad. In December, the United States 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, jets acquired from Jordan, and newer Block-52+ models. US officials have long described the F-16 programme as a central pillar of bilateral military cooperation.
Political signalling from Washington has also drawn attention. President Donald Trump has repeatedly praised Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, in public remarks, referring to him on several occasions as his “favourite field marshal”.
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At a year-end news briefing on December 31, President Trump said that 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,” he said.
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 Pakistan’s army chief. The meeting took place amid differences with India over Trump’s repeated claim that he personally helped defuse the May conflict.
Analysts suggest that Washington’s renewed focus on the Middle East, particularly developments in Gaza and Iran, along with Pakistan’s military performance during the recent regional crisis, has encouraged a more pragmatic recalibration of ties with Islamabad’s defence establishment.
Pakistan has also signalled willingness to participate in a proposed US-led international stabilisation force for Gaza, further underlining Islamabad’s interest in closer security cooperation.
Pakistan was designated a major non-NATO ally of the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks, though relations later deteriorated amid mutual mistrust during the war on terror. Recent exercises, arms deals and high-level engagement indicate that defence ties may now be entering a new phase of cautious rapprochement.
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