Washington — US Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Allison Hooker will travel to New Delhi and Bengaluru from December 7–11, the US Embassy announced. The visit aims to advance the US‑India strategic partnership, expand economic and commercial ties—including boosting American exports—and deepen cooperation on emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and space exploration.
In New Delhi, Hooker will hold meetings with senior Indian officials to discuss regional security, economic cooperation and shared priorities in the Indo‑Pacific. Her schedule includes Foreign Office Consultations with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri. In Bengaluru, she will visit the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and meet leaders from India’s space, energy and technology sectors to promote joint research, innovation and opportunities for expanded collaboration.
The embassy described the trip as supporting US President Donald Trump’s priorities for a strong US‑India relationship and a free and open Indo‑Pacific.
Separately, India and the United States issued a joint condemnation of terrorism in all its forms on December 6 and reaffirmed commitments to multilateral counterterrorism cooperation through the United Nations, the Quad and the Financial Action Task Force. The two countries also held the 21st meeting of the India‑US Joint Working Group on Counter Terrorism and the 7th Designations Dialogue on December 3.
At those meetings, officials urged additional UN 1267 sanctions designations against affiliates of ISIS and al‑Qaida, as well as Lashkar‑e‑Tayyiba and Jaish‑e‑Mohammad and associated proxies, sponsors and financiers, to secure asset freezes, travel bans and arms embargoes. India and the US strongly condemned the terrorist attack in Pahalgam on April 22 and the recent incident near New Delhi’s Red Fort on November 10, stressing that those responsible must be held accountable.
India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the discussions underscored the importance of bilateral cooperation in countering terrorism and reflected the India‑US Comprehensive Global Strategic Partnership.
