COLOMBO – The five-dayPacific Angel 2025 Exercise, the largest multinational exercise hosted in Sri Lanka this year, which got underway on Monday (8), concluded on Friday (12), with a closing ceremony in Katunayake attended by US Ambassador Julie Chung, Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF)
The Exercise, organized by the US Embassy in Sri Lanka, in partnership with the SLAF and Ministry of Defence, brought together regional partners to strengthen disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and regional cooperation.
Forces from across the Indo-Pacific, including the US Pacific Forces, Royal Australian Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defence Force, Maldivian National Defence Force, and Bangladesh Air Force, participated in the Exercise, with the Sri Lanka Navy and Army providing essential support as hosts.
The program featured eight Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) covering aircraft maintenance, search and rescue, jungle survival, aeromedical patient movement, mass casualty response, and airlift operations. Hands-on training was conducted at SLAF Katunayake, China Bay, and Ampara, enhancing regional readiness and interoperability.
Highlighting the significance of the exercise, Ambassador Chung, noting that Pacific Angel 25 was the largest multilateral exercise hosted in Sri Lanka this year, and that the US was proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with its Indo-Pacific partners, said, “This exercise demonstrates how we prepare together for real-world challenges -from disaster response to humanitarian crises- and how cooperation strengthens our collective ability to safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity across the region”.
Air Vice Marshal Thuyacontha, extending his gratitude to all participating nations, notied that the exercise strengthens interoperability and knowledge-sharing among Indo-Pacificpartners. Reflecting the longstanding cooperative relationship between the United States and Sri Lanka, he said, “Such engagements build resilience, strengthen mutual trust, and contribute to peace and stability in the region.”
Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, emphasizing the role of the SLAF in co-hosting the exercise, said Pacific Angel 25 provides an important platform to strengthen search-and-rescue and aviation operations while encouraging collaboration among regional air forces. “It also deepens cooperation in meeting humanitarian and security challenges together,” he added.
Beyond operational training, the exercise also highlighted the human dimension of cooperation. The United States Air Force Band of the Pacific ensemble ‘Final Approach’ performed alongside the SLAF Band, fostering camaraderie through music. In addition, US and Sri Lankan forces, together with the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Health, refurbished the Akaragama Divisional Hospital, leaving lasting benefits for local communities.
Pacific Angel 2025 demonstrated the growing commitment of Indo-Pacific partners to work side by side in Sri Lanka, preparing for crises, strengthening disaster response, and building long-term regional cooperation.
-ENCL
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