Top Highlights

• The federal cabinet has quietly approved the signing of a security pact with the United States in a significant move that may pave the way for Islamabad procuring military hardware from Washington.
• signing of the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement, known as the CIS-MOA, between Pakistan and the US, official sources confirmed to The Express Tribune on Wednesday.
• CIS-MOA is a foundational agreement that the US signs with its allies and countries with which it wants to maintain close military and defence ties. It also provides legal cover to the US department of defence for ensuring sale of military equipment and hardware to other countries.
• The signing of the CIS-MOA means that the two countries are keen to maintain the institutional mechanism. The CIS-MOA first was signed between Joint Staff Headquarters of Pakistan and the US Department of Defence in October 2005 for 15 years.
• The agreement expired in 2020 but the two sides have now renewed that arrangement that covers joint exercises, operations, training, basing and equipment.

Domain