Pakistan’s top military officer, Field Marshal Asim Munir, is on an official trip to the United States—his second visit in less than two months—highlighting a fresh bid to deepen defence cooperation between Islamabad and Washington. In Tampa, Florida, Munir attended the U.S. Central Command change-of-command ceremony, where Admiral Brad Cooper took over from outgoing commander General Michael E. Kurilla after Kurilla’s retirement. Munir also met both officers on the sidelines of the event. The Inter-Services Public Relations directorate said the army chief later held talks at the Pentagon with U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine and other senior defence leaders. Munir invited Caine to visit Pakistan and discussed "shared security challenges" as the two sides seek closer military engagement, a development Bloomberg described as signaling improving bilateral ties. Speaking to members of the Pakistani diaspora during the trip, Munir called overseas professionals a national “brain gain” and warned that Pakistan would deliver a robust response to any Indian aggression, according to Pakistani media coverage of the address.