Pakistan’s Naval Chief, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, visited the United States to strengthen maritime security and defense cooperation between the two countries. During his meetings with senior U.S. Navy, Coast Guard, and State Department officials, both sides discussed regional stability, training, and joint operational opportunities. The visit follows renewed defense diplomacy between Islamabad and Washington, marked by multiple high-level military visits and President Trump’s mediation in the May 2025 Pakistan-India conflict. The trip underscores growing strategic ties and Pakistan’s focus on enhancing regional maritime collaboration.
ISLAMABAD (October 17, 2025) — Pakistan’s Chief of Naval Staff, Admiral Naveed Ashraf, has visited the United States to enhance maritime collaboration and defense cooperation between Islamabad and Washington, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.
According to the ISPR statement, Admiral Ashraf held meetings with 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. Discussions focused on regional maritime security, professional exchanges, training opportunities, and joint operational cooperation aimed at ensuring stability in the Indo-Pacific and North Arabian Sea regions.
The statement did not disclose the exact dates of the visit.
During his stay in Washington, the naval chief also visited the National Defense University (NDU), where he met with Vice Admiral Peter A. Garvin, the institution’s president, to discuss academic and strategic collaboration in defense studies.
At the US State Department, Admiral Ashraf met Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Political-Military Affairs Stanley L. Brown, where the two sides reviewed the ongoing defense dialogue, maritime domain awareness initiatives, and avenues for broader political-military cooperation.
Part of Renewed High-Level Defense Diplomacy
The visit underscores a period of renewed engagement between Pakistan and the United States on defense and strategic matters. Earlier this year, Army Chief General Asim Munir made three visits to Washington, meeting US President Donald Trump twice — first during a defense roundtable and later at a luncheon hosted in his honor in June. Another meeting took place in September, coinciding with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to the US capital.
In July 2025, Pakistan Air Force Chief, Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, also held high-level discussions with senior Pentagon and State Department officials, focusing on air defense modernization and counterterrorism cooperation.
Strategic Context: Post-Conflict Regional Stability
The latest series of exchanges come in the wake of President Trump’s mediation efforts that helped broker a ceasefire between Pakistan and India following the May 2025 border conflict, which saw intense aerial and artillery exchanges. The episode marked a turning point, leading to a cautious thaw in South Asian security relations and renewed interest from Washington in maintaining regional balance.
A Strengthening Partnership
Admiral Ashraf’s visit highlights Islamabad’s efforts to diversify maritime partnerships, enhance naval interoperability, and secure vital sea lanes critical for Pakistan’s economic and energy security. Defense analysts say the engagement signals both nations’ intent to revitalize cooperation in maritime security, counter-piracy operations, and technological exchange after a period of limited military contact in recent years.
The ISPR statement concluded that the visit “reflects Pakistan’s continued commitment to international maritime peace and security, and the deepening of mutually beneficial defense relations with the United States.”
