PAF Chief’s Strategic Visit to United States

In a major development following the Army Chief’s high-level visit to Washington, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), concluded an official visit to the United States—marking the first such visit by a serving PAF chief in over a decade.

🔹 Key Objectives and Outcomes:

  • The visit symbolized a strategic milestone in Pakistan–U.S. defense ties, aiming to boost military cooperation, interoperability, and joint training.

  • Discussions covered regional and global security, and emerging threats and technologies.

  • The Air Chief held high-level meetings at the Pentagon with:

    • Ms. Kelli L. Seybolt, Secretary of the Air Force (International Affairs)

    • General David W. Allvin, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Air Force

🔹 Military and Diplomatic Engagements:

  • At the State Department, the Air Chief met with:

    • Mr. Brown L. Stanley, Bureau of Political-Military Affairs

    • Mr. Eric Meyer, Bureau of South & Central Asian Affairs

  • On Capitol Hill, he held talks with U.S. Congressmen:

    • Mike Turner, Rich McCormick, and Bill Huizenga

🔹 Key Themes:

  • Enhancing Pakistan–U.S. military-to-military cooperation

  • Counterterrorism collaboration

  • Strategic dialogue on South and Central Asia

  • A shared commitment to regional stability, and a forward-looking technological and training exchange

The visit underscored Pakistan’s operational successes, its evolving defense posture, and its commitment to global peace and stability.


South African Air Force Chief Visits Islamabad

On the sidelines, Lieutenant General Wiseman Simo Mbambo, Chief of the South African Air Force, paid an official visit to Air Headquarters Islamabad, where he was received with full military honors by PAF.

🔹 Highlights of the Visit:

  • A guard of honor was presented to Lt. Gen. Mbambo upon arrival.

  • Discussions focused on strengthening bilateral air force cooperation through:

    • Tailored training programs

    • Capacity-building initiatives

    • Modernizing South African Air Force’s training regime

🔹 Collaboration Commitments:

  • The South African Air Force showed interest in:

    • Sending officers to observe PAF’s operational exercises

    • Revamping its academy-level training with PAF’s help

    • Inspecting and maintaining its C-130 fleet in Pakistan, citing PAF’s technical expertise and cost-effective engineering infrastructure


🛡️ Strategic Significance

These back-to-back high-level exchanges signal Pakistan Air Force’s growing diplomatic footprint and its efforts to:

  • Strengthen alliances

  • Share operational expertise

  • Promote peace through strategic military cooperation

The ISPR concluded that these visits pave the way for institutional partnerships, enhanced interoperability, and a renewed commitment to peace, security, and technological advancement in global and regional defense frameworks.