Biden's Secretary of Defense nominee lays out military cooperation strategy for Pakistan

In his confirmation meeting with the Senate Armed Services Committee, Lloyd J. Austin, President Biden's nominee for Secretary of Defense, laid out the new administration's international cooperative strategy across the global sphere, including Pakistan.

In the confirmation hearing, when asked about the potential changes he would recommend pertaining to the United States' relationship with Pakistan, especially in regard to security assistance programs, Austin mentioned that "Pakistan will play an important role in the political settlement in Afghanistan", adding that he would "focus on our shared interests which include training future Pakistani military leaders through the use of International Military Training and Education funds".

Austin also commented, with regards to their shared interests in combating regional terrorism, that "we also need to work with Pakistan to defeat al Qaeda and the Islamic State Khorasan Province (ISIS-K) and to enhance regional stability".

When asked by the committee whether there was any perceived any change in Pakistan’s cooperation with the United States. since the decision to withhold security assistance to Pakistan in September 2018, Austin replied that "Pakistan has taken constructive steps to meet U.S. requests in support of the Afghanistan peace process, [and] has also taken steps against anti-Indian groups, such as Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed", adding that "this progress is incomplete".

Finally, when asked what tools and options are available to the United States to ensure that Pakistan is not used as a sanctuary for militants, Austin stated that "Pakistan is a sovereign nation. Continuing to build relationships with Pakistan’s military will provide openings for the United States and Pakistan to cooperate on key issues".