U.S.-Pakistan Security Assistance Working Group

The U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue's bilateral Security Assistance Working Group met in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on May 5 to review the status of U.S. military equipment deliveries aimed at strengthening Pakistan's capabilities to meet shared security challenges.

The meeting was co-chaired by Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Thomas M. Countryman, Deputy Director of the U.S. Defense Security Cooperation Agency Jeanne Lynn Farmer, and Major General Nasir Mahmood, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Defense Production, and built on the success of the March 2010 meeting of the U.S.-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue in Washington.

Among recent developments, the Working Group highlighted the April 30 delivery of U.S. P-3C patrol aircraft to the Pakistani Navy, an Oliver Hazard Perry Class naval vessel, and progress in construction at Shahbaz Air Force Base, facilitating the delivery of new F-16 fighter aircraft for the Pakistani Air Force later this year.

In Pakistan, U.S. security assistance programs overseen by the Bureau of Political-Military Affairs aim to improve Pakistan's counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operational capacities, enhance U.S.-Pakistan interoperability, and help to deepen our bilateral relations. Our robust military-to-military relationship with Pakistan also underscores our long-term commitment to remain engaged in the region, as well as our commitment to regional stability.