Tulsi Gabbard Making First Trip To India As Intelligence Chief

WASHINGTON, DC (ANI) – US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard on March 11 embarked on a multi-nation trip to the Indo-Pacific, including India.

Calling herself a “child of the Pacific,” Gabbard said she will be visiting Japan, Thailand, and India, with a brief stop in France.

Gabbard stated, “I am wheels up on a multi-nation trip to the Indo-Pacific, a region I know very well, having grown up as a child of the Pacific. I’ll be going to Japan, Thailand, and India, with a brief stop in France en-route back to DC. Building strong relationships, understanding, and open lines of communication are vital to achieving President Trump’s objectives of peace, freedom, and prosperity. First stop: Honolulu, where I’ll visit IC partners, INDOPACOM leaders, and our troops engaging in training.”

Gabbard’s trip will include an appearance at a security conference in India next week, according to the New York Times.

This marks Gabbard’s second international trip as a top Trump administration official. Immediately after her confirmation a month ago, she traveled to Germany for the Munich Security Conference, which took place from February 14-16, 2025.

The Asia leg of Gabbard’s trip will conclude with an address on March 18, at the Raisina Dialogue, a multinational security gathering in Delhi. Invited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, she will also hold bilateral meetings with Indian and other international officials, a senior Trump administration official said.

The Trump administration is pushing for a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia and has pressured the Kyiv government to make concessions to end the war.

Trump administration officials’ comments at the Munich conference in February left many European diplomats unsettled, particularly Vice President JD Vance’s rebuke of Europe for restricting conservatives’ free speech. However, Gabbard’s remarks on counterterrorism cooperation between Europe and America were well received.

A senior administration official noted that Gabbard would address similar themes in India, focusing on counterterrorism, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and intelligence sharing.