MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla., March 24, 2015 - Pakistani and U.S. military representatives gathered here earlier this month for the 24th U.S.-Pakistan Military Consultative Committee, or MCC.
The MCC is an annual forum for reviewing the military-to-military engagements and exercises that Pakistan and the U.S. have ongoing and are planning for the future.
The word "consultative" is important because, in venues such as the MCC, friends and allies bring together their experience in working toward the future, said Pakistani Rear Adm. Ahmed Saeed, director general of the Pakistan military's joint warfighting and training and head of the Pakistani delegation here this week.
Pakistan and the U.S. have more than 100 engagements and exercises planned for the fiscal year that begins in October. Exercises are planned across the spectrum of military components, including air, land, maritime and special operations. Planned engagements between the two countries' militaries include seminars and other forums covering a range of topics that includes counterterrorism, counterinsurgency, civil-military cooperation, intelligence, logistics, medical, close air support, harbor security and explosive ordnance disposal.
U.S. representation at the MCC was led by Maj. Gen. Steven Busby, U.S. Central Command's director of strategy, plans and policy. Representatives from CENTCOM's operations, exercises, intelligence, and command surgeon directorates also participated in the MCC, which was held March 10-11. CENTCOM's air, land, maritime, and special operations components were also involved in the event, as was the Office of Defense Representative-Pakistan, the U.S. military office at the American embassy in Islamabad that works closely with the Pakistani military.