The visit of US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Samuel J Paparo, to the headquarters of India’s Western Army Command in Chandimandir near Chandigarh on Tuesday (February 16), has turned heads, especially in the subcontinent.
The presence of the US’s top uniformed officer in the Indo-Pacific region alongside the American envoy at a frontline Indian Army formation less than 250 kilometres from the Pakistan border is being viewed as a significant development in the evolving military relationship between New Delhi and Washington.
The visit took place at a time when India and the US are expanding the scope of defence cooperation across land, maritime, air, cyber, and technology domains.
During their engagement with the General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Command, Lt Gen Manoj Kumar Katiyar, the visiting delegation was briefed on the command’s operational responsibilities, readiness posture, historical evolution, and its recent role in major military operations.
The discussions focused on strategic security challenges along India’s western theatre, an area that remains sensitive due to the enduring military standoff and history of conflict with Pakistan.
According to the Western Command, the visiting officials were given a comprehensive overview of how the formation prepares for conventional contingencies along the western border and how it has adapted its posture to meet emerging security threats.
The briefing included details on operational preparedness, the command’s legacy within the Indian Army’s order of battle, the conduct of Operation Sindoor in 2025, and the role the Army plays in contributing to domestic development and regional stability.
US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor @USAmbIndia and #USINDOPACOM Commander, Adm Samuel J. Paparo, @sjpaparo visited HQ Western Command and held substantive discussions with Lt Gen #ManojKumarKatiyar, PVSM, UYSM, AVSM, Army Commander, #WesternCommand, on strategic security dynamics… pic.twitter.com/KJWJchY6qI
— Western Command – Indian Army (@westerncomd_IA) February 16, 2026
Following the engagement at Chandimandir, Gor posted another message highlighting the interaction with the Indian Army leadership and the US military delegation.
“A great visit with US Indo-Pacific Command Admiral Paparo and Western Command, Indian Army. Our joint efforts are key to a safe Indo-Pacific. The US-India defense partnership continues to grow stronger. Thank you for the warm welcome Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar.”
A great visit with @INDOPACOM Admiral Paparo and @westerncomd_IA Our joint efforts are key to a safe Indo-Pacific. The U.S.-India defense partnership continues to grow stronger. Thank you for the warm welcome Lieutenant General Manoj Kumar Katiyar. pic.twitter.com/FSKjyWhNSj
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) February 16, 2026
Earlier, while welcoming Paparo to India during his official engagements in New Delhi, Gor had underlined the intent behind the high-level visit by stating, “Delighted to have @INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in India to expand the US-India defense partnership. Now is the time to strengthen vital cooperation between our two nations.”
Why the Western Command is strategically important
The Western Command is among the most crucial operational formations of the Indian Army due to its geographic and strategic responsibilities along the India-Pakistan frontier.
Headquartered at Chandimandir near Chandigarh, the command oversees a vast and densely populated region that includes Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and parts of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu.
Its area of responsibility spans from Akhnoor in Jammu and Kashmir to Fazilka in Punjab, covering much of the international border with Pakistan.
Unlike formations that operate primarily in mountainous terrain or in counter-insurgency environments, the Western Command is structured for large-scale conventional warfare in open plains that allow rapid manoeuvre by armoured and mechanised units.
The command’s operational mandate places it at the centre of India’s conventional military planning vis-à-vis Pakistan. It is responsible for safeguarding some of India’s most economically and strategically vital regions, including the agricultural heartland of Punjab and key communication corridors that link northern India to the national capital region.
The terrain under its jurisdiction is suited for high-tempo operations involving tanks, mechanised infantry, artillery, and air support, making the Western Command central to both defensive preparedness and potential offensive contingencies.
Organisationally, the command fields a combination of strike and holding formations that together form the backbone of India’s conventional deterrence posture on the western front.
Its principal offensive capability is anchored in a strike corps tasked with deep penetration operations in the event of hostilities, while its holding corps are responsible for maintaining robust defensive lines along the border and protecting key population centres and infrastructure in the hinterland.
The command also controls large artillery formations designed to deliver massed firepower in support of manoeuvre forces.
Over the past several years, the Western Command has been undergoing a transition in how it prepares for potential conflict scenarios. As of early 2026, the command’s operational planning increasingly incorporates rapid response concepts, networked surveillance, and the integration of advanced technologies into conventional operations.
Western Command during Operation Sindoor
The Western Command played a central role in Operation Sindoor,
the five-day military engagement between India and Pakistan in May 2025.
The operation was conducted in response to cross-border provocations and involved precision strikes against terrorist infrastructure and specific military targets on the Pakistani side.
During this period, the Western Command coordinated the deployment of ground forces, artillery assets, and supporting elements to deliver calibrated military effects while maintaining defensive stability across the international border.
The operation marked a notable moment in India’s recent military history because it demonstrated the Indian Army’s ability to execute limited conventional actions under conditions of heightened nuclear deterrence.
The command’s performance during the engagement highlighted its capacity to conduct precise, time-bound operations without triggering uncontrolled escalation. It also highlighted the importance of intelligence-driven targeting, coordination between different arms of the military, and the use of modern surveillance and strike capabilities.
During his official engagements in New Delhi, Paparo publicly praised India’s execution of Operation Sindoor. He noted that the operation provided valuable insights into the employment of Chinese-origin weapons systems used by Pakistan, highlighting how such engagements can offer lessons relevant to broader regional military planning.
His remarks were seen as significant because they came from a senior US military commander with operational experience in Iraq and Afghanistan, lending weight to the assessment of India’s tactical and operational performance during the conflict.
The Western Command’s role in Operation Sindoor has since been incorporated into training and doctrinal discussions within the Indian Army. Lessons from the operation are being studied to refine operational concepts, improve inter-service coordination, and further integrate emerging technologies into conventional warfighting.
These experiences formed part of the briefing given to the US delegation during the February 2026 visit, providing context on how the command has adapted its posture following real-world operational testing.
Why the visit drew attention
While the visit by Gor and Paparo was framed by Indian and US officials as part of ongoing defence engagement, it generated sharp reactions from segments of India’s political opposition.
The presence of a foreign ambassador at an operational Army command close to the Pakistan border was portrayed by some opposition leaders as an unusual development that raised concerns about sovereignty and the optics of foreign access to sensitive military installations.
Priyanka Chaturvedi of Shiv Sena (UBT) linked the visit to broader geopolitical anxieties, suggesting that it reflected growing external influence over India’s strategic choices. She said, “India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what the US wants India to do.”
She further remarked, “India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to know from their own Government.”
She added, “US Ambassador is doing the job for his nation, who is doing for us? The answer is blowing in the wind.”
The Congress party’s Kerala unit also criticised the visit through posts on social media. In one message, it stated, “Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan’s ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government’s blessings. Didn’t they say then ‘Modi ne kiya hai to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga (If Modi has done this, he must have thought it through)?’ Compared to that, this is very small.”
Some opposition figures described the engagement as providing “unprecedented access” to a key operational formation. In response, senior Indian Army officials said that while visits by foreign ambassadors to operational commands are uncommon, they are not without precedent.
They pointed out that senior military officers from partner countries regularly visit Indian formations and that diplomatic visits to military establishments, though rare, have occurred in the past. India and the US also have formal arrangements to post liaison officers at each other’s bases on a reciprocal basis.
A few years earlier, the then Canadian High Commissioner had visited Chandimandir, including the command hospital, where she interacted with recovering soldiers.
How the visit fits into the broader India-US defence framework
Earlier in the month, India and the US held the 24th Joint Technical Group Plenary at the Defence Research and Development Organisation headquarters in New Delhi.
The meeting focused on advancing cooperation in defence science and technology and was co-chaired by Chandrika Kaushik, Director General (Production Coordination & Services Interaction) at DRDO, and Michael Francis Dodd, Assistant Secretary of War for Critical Technologies in the Office of the Under Secretary of War for Research & Engineering.
These technical engagements align with the broader India-US Major Defence Partnership framework formalised in October 2025.
The framework was institutionalised through a 10-year Defence Framework Agreement signed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth
on the sidelines of the ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in Kuala Lumpur.
The agreement outlines long-term objectives for military collaboration, joint projects, and capacity building across the Indo-Pacific region. Singh described the signing as the beginning of a “new chapter” in bilateral defence relations, stating that it would provide policy direction across the full spectrum of engagement and signal deeper strategic convergence.
Hegseth characterised the framework as “ambitious,” calling it a meaningful step for both militaries and an indication of sustained US commitment to shared security priorities.
In November, India’s Chief of the Naval Staff, Dinesh K. Tripathi, concluded an official visit to the US aimed at strengthening naval cooperation. During this visit, he met senior American civilian and military leaders, including the US Secretary of the Navy and leadership from INDOPACOM.
The discussions covered maritime security, maritime domain awareness, interoperability between naval forces, safeguarding sea lines of communication and undersea infrastructure, as well as cooperation in humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, search and rescue, and counter-piracy missions.
With inputs from agencies
End of Article
