As the Trump administration begins to engage with Central Asia, Uzbekistan has expressed eagerness to expand its strategic partnership, highlighting what it calls its "enhanced" political dialogue on bilateral and regional issues and security cooperation, including its "solid connection" with the Mississippi National Guard.

The U.S. recently got back its seven Black Hawk helicopters from Uzbekistan that Afghan military pilots had flown there in 2021 while fleeing the Taliban.

This transfer and other bilateral exchanges within the last month have underscored Tashkent's role as Washington's key partner in Central Asia, according to U.S. officials. However, analysts see the military relationship as largely transactional and shaped by geopolitical complexities and regional tensions.

Talk between diplomats

In a phone conversation on February 21 with Uzbek Foreign Minister Bakhtiyor Saidov, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio reiterated U.S. support for the country's independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, according to State Department's spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

They discussed a joint effort through the C5+1 diplomatic platform, launched nearly a decade ago between Washington and five Central Asian republics. The Trump administration is interested in using this platform to support "a more peaceful and prosperous Central Asia."

Saidov described his talk with Rubio as "candid and productive," aiming to expand the "strategic partnership between our nations in all spheres without an exception. Building strong bridges between business communities, increasing trade volume in both directions, ensuring prosperous development in Central Asia."

Cooperation with Pentagon, ties with Mississippi

Uzbek Ambassador Furqat Sidikov says his country's forces "have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Mississippi National Guard in the best ways," citing joint exercises and Pentagon-sponsored professional exchanges.

"We are a reliable partner of the United States in the region," Sidikov said at a January 31 embassy reception, pointing to defense reforms and improvements in the Uzbek military's equipment.

Mississippi National Guard Adjutant General Major General Bobby Ginn emphasized at the event that since 2012, the partnership has facilitated more than 170 engagements between U.S. and Uzbek soldiers, strengthening disaster response and readiness.

"Uzbekistan's commitment to regional stability and contributions to counterterrorism efforts and border security" demonstrate the power of its armed forced, Ginn said.

Davis Florick, the Pentagon's acting principal director for Eurasia, also attending the reception, thanked Tashkent for "storing" U.S. aircraft and diligently working with the U.S. toward the mutually beneficial solution. He confirmed that the seven Black Hawks were part of a fleet from Afghanistan that, according to multiple sources, included 24 helicopters, among them Mi-17s and UH-60s, and 22 fixed-wing aircraft, most of which were transferred to Uzbekistan last year.

Another high-level Pentagon official, Rear Admiral Erin Osborne, speaking at the same gathering, praised Uzbekistan as a "critical ally" that offered its airspace and an air base during the initial years of the U.S. military campaign in Afghanistan. The republic was also part of Pentagon's Northern Distribution Network, delivering nonmilitary goods to the international coalition fighting in the neighboring country.

Osborne said that mutual trust and understanding were reflected in "capacity-building initiatives and the sharing of intelligence to counter common threats."

The U.S., she added, is committed to working with Uzbekistan "to ensure its stability and sovereignty, as well as the stability and sovereignty of the entire Central Asian region."

The Taliban and the Afghanistan factor

Even though the transfer of the Black Hawks back to the U.S. was disclosed at the embassy event, Uzbek officials have been tight-lipped about this collaboration to avoid any tension with the Taliban, which has condemned the handovers as an infringement on Afghanistan's sovereignty. The Taliban's Defense Ministry issued a statement denouncing the transfer as "unacceptable" and demanding the return of the aircraft.

Eighteen U.S. aircraft also ended up in Tajikistan in 2021, but Washington and Dushanbe have yet to settle the matter.

During a visit to the region in June 2022, U.S. Central Command commander General Michael Kurilla said the aircraft would not be returned to Afghanistan "because they do not belong to the Taliban … Our hope is to be able to hand over some or all of the aircraft to the Tajik government."

Washington analysts view Uzbekistan as the most active U.S. military partner in the region, comparing it with the activities other republics in Central Asia have with their state partners, specifically Kazakhstan with Arizona, Tajikistan with Virginia, and Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan with Montana.

Still, they characterize Tashkent-Washington security relationship as more transactional than strategic.

"The Uzbeks want training and equipment. What do we want from them? A reliable partner in the region," a former U.S. official with deep experience in Central Asia told VOA. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity for professional reasons.

The U.S. has trained Uzbek pilots to operate and maintain the transferred aircraft, but continued congressional funding — amounting to several million dollars — is crucial for sustained cooperation.

"There will be questions from Congress, of course," the former official said. "The primary justification so far has been that these assets would help counter extremists from Afghanistan."

Meanwhile, experts in Tashkent support Uzbekistan's cautious approach to the Taliban. As officials have said, Uzbekistan will engage with whoever governs Afghanistan. While it does not officially recognize the Taliban, the administration of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has forged stable diplomatic relations with Kabul, holds significant investment and business agreements with the country, and provides humanitarian aid to the Afghan people. Last summer, Uzbekistan opened a free economic zone in the city of Termez on the border with Afghanistan, inviting neighbors to foster entrepreneurial cooperation.

U.S. interests and Central Asian security

The U.S. maintains military cooperation agreements with each Central Asian republic, with plans reviewed annually and subject to funding approval.

Despite intelligence-sharing efforts, there is no U.S.-Uzbekistan overflight agreement. Tashkent does not allow its territory to be used for strikes on neighboring soil, even against terrorist targets.

"The Trump administration may question this," said the former U.S. official. "It complicates the case for cooperation with Uzbekistan because they're centrally located, yet we must fly around them. It's hard to justify what we're getting in return."

For years, the U.S. has also supported regional border security initiatives.

"That's the big program," the former U.S. official said, but added: "How many terrorists have we stopped? How many have been disrupted, killed, or captured? Do we have those hard numbers? We are still in the nascent stages of setting up the program."