Pakistan navy chief seeks deeper US maritime cooperation

Pakistan Navy chief Admiral Naveed Ashraf is visiting the United States to bolster maritime cooperation and wider defence engagements, the Inter-Services Public Relations said Friday. During the trip, he met US Deputy Chief of Naval Operations Vice Admiral Yvette Davids and Acting Vice Commandant of the US Coast Guard Vice Admiral Thomas G. Allan Jr.

The itinerary also included the National Defense University, where the naval chief called on President Vice Admiral Peter A. Garvin. At the US State Department, he met Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Stanley L. Brown. Discussions ranged from professional training and maritime security to regional dynamics and avenues for practical collaboration.

Admiral Ashraf also addressed a gathering of scholars and think-tank experts, outlining Pakistan’s assessment of maritime challenges in the region and the navy’s contributions to cooperative security efforts. ISPR described the visit as a reflection of enduring defence ties and mutual commitment to safe seas and stability.

The outreach follows a series of recent high-level security engagements with Washington. Army chief Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir visited the US multiple times this year—meeting political and military leaders and attending a luncheon hosted by President Donald Trump—while Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu undertook a landmark trip in July, the first by a serving PAF chief in over a decade.