U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) Deputy Commander Lt. Gen. Stephen D. Sklenka and Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman Chiefs of Staff Committee (CISC) Lt. Gen. Johnson P. Mathew co-chaired the 20th Military Cooperation Group (MCG) at United States Indo-Pacific Command at Camp H.M. Smith, Hawaii from Aug. 30-31, 2023.

The 20th MCG comprised two days of substantive bilateral discussion aimed at further strengthening military-to-military cooperation in the Indo-Pacific Region and beyond. This year’s engagement included senior leadership from U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) to facilitate holistic discussion about the Indian Ocean region.

“The U.S. and India—amongst the oldest democracies and the largest democracy respectively in the world—face many of the same challenges in the region; the MCG forum has once again facilitated rich, strategic discussion about how to address those issues,” said Sklenka. “The pace and trajectory of this strategic partnership is remarkable and buttressed by our shared values, trust and mutual respect for the rule of law.”

This iteration of partnership and dialogue within the U.S.-India Defense partnership builds on momentum from several other senior leader engagements this summer, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the White House on June 22.