NEW DELHI: US commander of Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Samuel J. Paparo, during his India visit on Sunday, “applauded the tactical execution” of the Indian military operations against Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and said “there is always a lesson to learn from every conflict in the world”.He said the US-India defense relationship is on a “steeply upward trajectory”, even as he flagged concerns about increasing “coercion” and “aggression” in the Indo-Pacific region.In reply to a TOI query about his views on Op Sindoor, the US commander, who was interacting with a select group of journalists, said, “First of all, I have tremendous reverence for the terrible event (Pahalgam terror attack) that preceded the crisis. In my discussion with my partners, I applaud the tactical execution (of operations). We also sincerely applaud the restraint that was exhibited. We hope to work together to see that such a terrible event doesn’t happen again.The Admiral also said that he has seen a deep commitment from the Indian military to learn lessons from this conflict.Asked what lessons the US took away from Op Sindoor which saw Chinese weapons being used by Pakistan, Admiral Paparo said, “Complex long-range weapons have complex long- range kill chains”. With the “combination of sensors, communication, propulsion, warheads, seekers in the 21st century, geography is no longer a commodity…”On China’s increasing military might, the Admiral, who is responsible for all US military operations in the region, said, “Deterrence is our highest duty. It is my job to think through the worst-case scenario and to be prepared for that. India shares some of those concerns in the Indo-Pacific, as the region is home to 60% of the world’s population, more than 60% of the world’s GDP and seven of the world’s largest. militaries.“We deal with those concerns with the growing partnerships… mutually respectful, sovereign relationship between the world’s oldest democracy and the world’s largest democracy,” he said, adding both the US and India are committed to the principles of sovereignty, freedom of navigation and freedom of seas.“We applaud India as a great net contributor to the security of the Indian Ocean region,” he said. The two sides are also looking at boosting maritime security cooperation, including in the sphere of undersea domain awareness.With the imposing MILAN exercise in mind, Admiral Paparo said, “It is great to see the deepening of Indo-US defense partnership, enshrined in the recent defense agreement signed in Kuala Lumpur (Oct 31, 2025) between US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and Indian defense minister Rajnath Singh. A number of joint exercises like Yudh Abhyas in Alaska, MILAN, Malabar series, COPE India exercise and Triumph Tiger series and people-to-people contacts are strengthening the ties between India and the US. And we treasure this relationship.”About modern warfare strategies, the Admiral said, “Increasingly, the 21st century will be dominated by actors who master the information environment, that is, space, counter-space, electronic warfare, low observability and other technologies.”On the upcoming AI summit hosted by India, he said, “PM Modi’s visionary AI summit. I celebrate India’s vision on how to make use of AI in the 21st century. AI has many defense connections and United States Indo-Pacific Command is at the forefront of AI employment for defense.”
