Paul Kapur, an Indian-American writer and security specialist, has been formally inaugurated as the newly appointed Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs within the US State Department. The Bureau confirmed his inauguration through a social media announcement made late Wednesday evening.
In his role as Assistant Secretary, Kapur will be responsible for managing America's diplomatic relations and strategic alliances across India, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.
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Born in New Delhi to parents of Indian and American heritage, Kapur previously worked as an academic in the Department of National Security Affairs at the US Naval Postgraduate School. He currently holds a visiting fellowship position at the Hoover Institution of Stanford University.
Between 2020 and 2021, Kapur was part of the State Department's Policy Planning Staff, focusing on South and Central Asian matters, Indo-Pacific strategic planning and bilateral relations between the US and India.
He has written several publications examining the international security landscape in South Asia and the Indo-Pacific region, covering topics such as nuclear arms proliferation, strategic deterrence and Islamic extremist movements.
During his Senate confirmation hearing in June, Kapur spoke about his personal connection to the region and his long association with US-India relations. “I can’t avoid the feeling of having come full circle. I was born in New Delhi, to an Indian father and an American mother. Although I visited India often during my childhood, I grew up in the United States as a thoroughly American kid, never imagining that my career would someday return me to the place where I was born,” he says.
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Kapur emphasised the growing convergence of interests between Washington and New Delhi. “The United States and India share a host of common interests: ensuring a free and open Indo-Pacific region, which is not dominated by China; expanding bilateral trade, building our economic relationship so that it is more symmetrical and profitable; facilitating technology sharing and innovation; and ensuring access to the energy necessary to fuel our economies,” he noted.
Kapur takes over from Donald Lu, who served in the role from September 2021 through January 2025. Beyond his governmental duties, Kapur holds positions as a visiting fellow with the Hoover Institution and serves as a professor at the US Naval Postgraduate School located in Monterey, California. His confirmation to this new role occurred in early October through a Senate vote that simultaneously confirmed Sergio Gor as the US Ambassador to India.
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The Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs holds a pivotal position in developing US diplomatic and security strategies for the region, addressing matters that span from counterterrorism initiatives and defense alliances to commercial relationships, connectivity projects, and energy collaboration. Kapur assumes this role during a period when the United States is actively strengthening its relationships with South Asian nations while managing competitive dynamics across the broader Indo-Pacific area.