US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker has arrived in India for an official visit aimed at advancing strategic cooperation across security, technology, and regional priorities. Her engagements include Foreign Office Consultations with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, where both sides are expected to review developments in the Indo-Pacific and assess progress in bilateral cooperation.
The US Embassy in India said Hooker’s visit reflects Washington’s commitment to strengthening the partnership with New Delhi and supporting a free and open Indo-Pacific. The embassy noted that the discussions will help advance the administration’s priorities on national security, economic ties, and technological collaboration.
In addition to meetings in New Delhi, Hooker will visit Bengaluru to engage with the Indian Space Research Organisation and leaders from India’s space, energy and technology sectors. Her outreach is aimed at promoting innovation, expanding US-India research partnerships and exploring new avenues for cooperation in emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and space exploration.
Her visit comes days after India and the United States held extensive deliberations on counterterrorism during the 21st India-US Joint Working Group meeting and the 7th Designations Dialogue in New Delhi. Both sides expressed concern over the growing use of drones, unmanned aerial vehicles and artificial intelligence for terrorist activities, while reaffirming their commitment to holding perpetrators accountable.
Officials discussed deepening cooperation in law enforcement, judicial coordination, cybersecurity and information-sharing mechanisms. They emphasised that countering terrorism requires sustained and comprehensive efforts and agreed to strengthen collaboration in multilateral platforms, including the United Nations, Quad and the Financial Action Task Force.
Both nations also called for additional global sanctions against ISIS, al-Qaida, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammad and their associated networks, stressing the need for asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargoes to curb their activities.
Hooker’s visit is expected to build on these recent consultations and reinforce the growing breadth of the US-India partnership across security, defence, innovation and regional stability.
