So it may be pertinent that on June 10, during his nomination hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Kapur began by touching upon his Indian roots and also laid out the India-US partnership agenda. “If confirmed, I will work to further advance US-India relations and put our partnership on course to realise its tremendous promise,” he said.

“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,” Kapur added.

Stating that he could not “avoid the feeling of having come full circle”, Kapur — born in New Delhi to an Indian father and an American mother — said he grew up in the US as “a thoroughly American kid”, never imagining that my career would someday return me to the place where I was born.

“Appearing before this committee today really does return me to my beginning,” he stated.

Referring to the recent India-Pakistan hostilities, Kapur said, “South Asia recently avoided a costly conflict, with the Vice President (JD Vance) and Secretary (Marco) Rubio intensely engaged on the issue. If confirmed, I will continue to promote longstanding US security interests with India and Pakistan through the pursuit of peace and stability, and the fight against terrorism.”

On Pakistan specifically, he said that he would pursue security cooperation “where beneficial to US interests, while seeking opportunities for bilateral collaboration in trade and investment”.

In the presence of his wife and three of his five children, Kapur said during the hearing that he visited India often during his childhood but became interested in studying the region in graduate school and has worked on it (the region) as a scholar and as a government official.

Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Maldives, and Bhutan are important for stability in the Indo-Pacific region, Kapur said at the hearing, adding that Sri Lanka and Maldives are located along major oceanic trade routes, while Bangladesh boasts the largest economy in the region after India. “If confirmed, I will advocate for enhanced US cooperation with these nations to bolster our security, counterbalance China’s influence, and expand trade,” he said.

On Afghanistan, he said he would support President Trump and Secretary Rubio in bringing home “the remaining detained Americans”, adding that he will work to ensure that the country never again becomes a launching pad for terrorism threatening the homeland.

Kapur has written several books and articles about South Asia’s security environment and US policy in the region, taught military officers about the region, led US-India strategic engagement projects, and has covered South and Central Asia on the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff.