U.S. Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Ken Wilsbach hosted Indian Air Force Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh for an official counterpart visit Apr. 8 to advance shared priorities in support of the strong and growing U.S.-India defense partnership.
As part of the visit, Singh received a full honors arrival at Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling and attended office calls with Secretary of the Air Force Troy Meink and Wilsbach at the Pentagon.
During the office calls, Department of the Air Force senior leaders emphasized the priority the U.S. places on its defense partnership with India, highlighting its central role in ensuring a free, open, peaceful and prosperous Indo-Pacific region. Wilsbach praised India's leadership and participation in multilateral exercises with like-minded partners and stressed how continuing to prioritize and expand such cooperation is key to enhancing regional deterrence. Wilsbach also welcomed India's procurement of MQ-9B Sky Guardian aircraft and emphasized the U.S. Air Force commitment to ensuring the Indian Armed Forces can seamlessly and effectively employ the platform upon delivery. Finally, Wilsbach underscored the U.S. Air Force's readiness to further support Indian Air Force modernization efforts, noting the mutual benefits of pursuing these goals through defense industrial collaboration.
"It was an honor to host Air Chief Marshal AP Singh for this important counterpart visit," said Wilsbach. "Throughout his day at the Pentagon, we had great discussions focused on modernization efforts, future training opportunities and our shared commitment to a free, open and prosperous Indo-Pacific."
The office call was followed by staff talks to discuss topics that included the National Guard Bureau's State Partnership Program, the Air National Guard's Advanced Airlift Tactics Training Center, and full-spectrum MQ-9 operations.
In addition to his engagements in the national capital region, Singh visited Peterson Space Force Base, Col., for briefings centered on the binational North American Aerospace Defense Command mission of aerospace warning, aerospace control and maritime warning for North America. He also traveled to Nellis Air Force Base, Nev., where the visit included briefings at the U.S. Air Force Warfare Center and a familiarization flight in an F-15EX Eagle II.
"Opportunities like this are crucial for building our joint interoperability and strengthening the strategic partnership between our air forces," Singh said.
