Who is Paul Kapur? Indian-American officially sworn in as US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asia, makes BIG statement on US-India ties, says, ‘more profitable…’
Indian-American security expert Paul Kapur was officially sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, marking a key appointment from the Trump administration for the region.
Indian-American security expert Paul Kapur was officially sworn in as Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs, marking a key appointment from the Trump administration for the region.
The State Department’s Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs posted on
Paul Kapur replaces Donald Lu, who served as Deputy Minister from September 2021 to January 2025.
Who is Paul Kapur?
Kapur previously served on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff from 2020 to 2021, where he worked on issues related to South and Central Asia, Indo-Pacific strategy, and India-U.S. relations.
He also led the India-US Track 1.5 dialogue and other strategic defense efforts between the two countries. He is a visiting scholar at the Hoover Institution and a professor at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.
In early October, Kapur was confirmed by a Senate vote, along with the new US Ambassador to India Sergio Gor.
At his Senate confirmation hearing in June, Kapur said his career had “come full circle” by studying the region academically and that he was now stepping into the role of diplomatic leader.
“I was born in New Delhi to an Indian father and an American mother. Although I visited India frequently during my childhood, I grew up in the United States as an all-American child and never imagined that my career would one day take me back to my birthplace,” he added.
Paul Kapur talked about US-India ties
On US relations with India, Kapur maintained that the two countries “share a number of common interests”.
“The United States and India share a number of common interests: ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region that is not dominated by China; expanding bilateral trade, building our economic relationship to be more symmetrical and profitable; facilitating technology sharing and innovation; and ensuring access to the energy needed to fuel our economies.”
Regarding Pakistan, he said he would “continue security cooperation if it is beneficial to US interests.”
The Bureau plays a pivotal role in shaping U.S. policy regarding security, economic participation, counterterrorism, and infrastructure development in the broader South and Central Asia region.
