Defence Asia

U.S. Navy littoral combat ship USS Charleston (LCS-18) arriving at Trincomalee for Ex CARAT-21. Pic by - SLN. By Asiri Fernando 24 June 2021, Colombo. - Updated 1300hrs. The bilateral maritime training exercise, Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT), held between the U.S Navy and Sri Lankan armed forces kicks off today (24 June) in the strategic deep-water port of Trincomalee and off the Island's eastern seaboard.   The U.S. - Lankan exercise comes as the nuclear powered USS Ronald Reagan (CVN-76) led US Navy (USN) Carrier Strike Group wraps up a two-day training exercise with the Indian Navy and Air Force aimed at improving interoperability between the countries in the Indian Ocean.  The 6-day CARAT-21 exercise, held for the fourth time will see two Sri Lankan Navy (SLN) vessels and several Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) aircraft engage with the US Navy's warship - USS Charleston (LCS-18), its embarked helicopter (a MH-60S from the Sea Combat Squadron HSC21) a...

A Sri Lankan fishing vessel suspected of trafficking narcotics being boarded by Indian Coast Guard on 05 March, 2021. Pic - ICG.  By Asiri Fernando The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) intercepted three Sri Lankan fishing vessels near Minicoy Islands, off the Lakshadweep coast of India last week (18 March), and found them carrying five AK-47 assault rifles, 1000 rounds of ammunition and 300 Kgs of Heroin. The ICG tweeted about the intercept, stating that "@IndiaCoastGuard· In a swift sea-air coordinated operation, #ICG intercepted 03 suspected boats off #Minicoy Island carrying 05 AK-47 rifles with 1000 live rounds and 300 Kg of Heroin. Boats being escorted to the nearest port for further joint investigation" The three vessels are being towed to the nearest port for investigation. The intercept come days after another three local fishing vessels with 19 fishermen were arrested by Indian authorities earlier this month (05 March) on suspicion of smuggling narcotics. Foreign news report...

  Defence Advisors of the Maldivian and Indian High Commissions, meet with Secretary of Defence, General (Retd) Kamal Gunaratne, Foreign Secretary Admiral (Retd) Jayanath Colombage, Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne and Senior Navy officers at the launch of the new secretariat. (Pic - SLN) Trilateral Secretariat on Maritime Security Cooperation established at Sri Lanka Navy HQ  By Asiri Fernando  A secretariat for trilateral national security advisors (NSA) was launched at the Navy Headquarters yesterday (01 March) to act as a platform to improve Maritime Security Cooperation between the Maldives, India and Sri Lanka.  The need to establish a secretariat for the task was agreed upon during the fourth NSA level meeting between the three countries, hosted by Sri Lanka in November last year. According to the Navy, Director Naval Operations Rear Admiral Prasanna Mahawithana has been appointed as the coordinating officer of the new secretariat....

Maldivian National Defence Forces and US Marines during Exercise Coconut Grove 2012. Pic by - Cpl. Isis M. Ramirez (USMC)       By Asiri Fernando The United States and Maldives earlier this month (10 September) signed an agreement to deepen engagement and cooperation on defence and security. The agreement came one day after two US allies, India and Japan signed an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). Both agreements also came in the backdrop of US Secretary of Defence Dr. Mark T. Esper speaking to the President of Sri Lanka and the Prime Minister of Bangladesh on security, defence and COVID-19 related matters. The renewed emphasis on defence cooperation and improving security relationships in the region comes as Quadrilateral Security Dialog - "The Quad", composed of the US, Japan, India and Australia are deepening their security cooperation, according to the US think tank RAND. The US - Maldivian agreement termed "Framework for U.S. Department of Defe...

                               An SLAF Bell-206 Jet Ranger in service with No.7 Squadron. Credit www.airforce.lk By Asiri Fernando The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) will call for international bids to buy four used helicopters to replenish its aging training fleet in  the near future.  The acquisition is to be made via competitive international bidding following government approval earlier this month.  Speaking to the press earlier this month (8 July), Co-Cabinet spokesman Romesh Pathirana said that President Gotabaya Rajapaksa on behalf of the Ministry of Defense had sought Cabinet approval to make the purchase. Pathirana pointed out that the SLAF needed to train pilots for UN peacekeeping missions. According to Pathirana, the SLAF currently uses two helicopters manufactured in 1981 to train Pilots. The Jet Rangers first entered service in 1969, the Air Force website said. Several un-serviceable...