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Pakistan–US Military Ties Strengthen with Joint Training, F-16 Deal
Pakistan and the US deepen military ties with joint counterterrorism drills, a $686m F-16 upgrade deal, and repeated praise from President Trump for Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir.
ND
by News Desk
2026-01-17
Pakistan–US Military Ties Strengthen with Joint Training, F-16 Deal

Military-to-military relations between Pakistan and the United States appear to be entering a renewed phase, marked by joint training exercises, major defence sales and unusually warm rhetoric from US President Donald Trump towards 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 programme at Pakistan’s National Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC) 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,” the statement said, adding that such exercises strengthen long-standing defence ties between the two countries.

The exercise comes amid broader signs of defence re-engagement. In December, Washington approved a $686 million sale of advanced technology and upgrade packages for Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft, a move that 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 consistently described the F-16 programme as a cornerstone of Pakistan–US military cooperation.

Political signalling from Washington has also drawn attention. President Trump has repeatedly praised Pakistan Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir, publicly referring to him as his “favourite field marshal” on multiple occasions.

During a year-end news briefing on December 31, Trump claimed that Pakistani leaders had credited him with preventing a wider catastrophe following the May conflict with India.

“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.

Trump again acknowledged Pakistan’s leadership during the Sharm el-Sheikh Peace Summit in October 2025, where he mentioned Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif before reiterating his praise for Field Marshal Munir. Since June last year, Trump has publicly praised Pakistan’s army chief at least ten times.

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 growing tensions with India over Trump’s repeated claim that he personally brokered a halt to the May conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.

Analysts believe Washington’s renewed strategic focus on the Middle East, particularly Gaza and Iran, combined with Pakistan Air Force’s performance during the May conflict, encouraged closer engagement 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 floated by Trump, further underlining Islamabad’s interest in enhanced security cooperation.

Pakistan was once a key US ally and was designated a major non-NATO ally after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Relations later deteriorated amid US accusations of Pakistani duplicity during the war on terror.

However, early in his second term, Trump adopted a noticeably different tone. Addressing a joint session of Congress in March, 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 military exercises, arms deals and high-level engagements now suggest that defence ties between Islamabad and Washington are moving into a more pragmatic and interest-driven phase.
Tagged:

MilitaryDiplomacy

DefenceCooperation

PakistanUS

F16Deal
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