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Australian Defence Forces arrive in Sri Lanka to begin joint exercise
Gp.Capt Sean Unwin (RAAF), Defence Advisor, Acting Australian High Commissioner Jon Philp, Cmdre Sanjeeva Dias, Director Naval Operations (SLN) and Air Cmdre Richard Owen, Commander of the Joint Task Force, Australia, alongside HMAS Canberra at the start of IPE19.
A number of Sri Lankan Navy Special Boat Squadron’s (SBS) boats patrolled the harbour providing protection for the Australian flagship HMAS Canberra, a 27,000 ton Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD), which sailed in to Colombo port escorted by the missile frigate HMAS Newcastle yesterday.
The small boat movement aroused the interest of a senior Australian Navy officer on the flight deck of HMAS Canberra. “Who are those men in the small boats?” he asked. He was told they were SBS personnel and the history of the ‘Cedric’ boats they were using. He took some photographs of them and remarked that he looked forward to meeting with them during the Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 (IPE19).
Hundreds of Australian Defence Forces personnel lined HMAS Canberra’s 232-metre flight deck from bow to stern as she came in to berth, with the Sri Lanka Navy band playing a welcoming tune.
The vessel can carry more than a dozen helicopters and several hundred personnel, and is one of the two LHDs in service with the Royal Australian Navy, and give the Australians a potent amphibious warfare, disaster response and force projection capability.
The arrival of HMAS Canberra, and the Newcastle yesterday signaled the start of the largest Australian – Sri Lankan defence engagement in history. A Joint task force of 1,000 Australian Defence Forces (ADF) personnel on four vessels arrived in Colombo and Trincomalee yesterday on a week long defence engagement. HMAS Success, a replenishment oiler and HMAS Parramatta, a frigate, called at port in Trincomalee.
The joint training exercise with Sri Lanka is the first phase of the IPE19 exercise. A Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft (MPA) is also scheduled to visit Mattala International Airport as part of the joint exercise. “We are proud to have this opportunity to engage with the Sri Lankan tri-services and deepen our engagement with Sri Lanka as our partner of choice,” said Mr John Philp, acting Australian High Commissioner.
Australian and Sri Lankan defence forces will work together on disaster assistance planning, naval manoeuvres and military training activities to improve cooperation, familiarity, and inter-operability before the ships depart on 30 March. The ADF personnel will visit several Sri Lankan military training establishments during their stay. “This is our first stop in the IPE19 mission, it is an important stop given the history Sri Lanka holds in the Indian Ocean in the present time and, I believe, the future,” said Air Commodore Richard Owen, Commander of the Joint Task Force. He expressed Australia’s desire to be part of Sri Lanka’s involvement in the Indian Ocean. “We would like Sri Lanka to have us as a strategic partner in the Indian Ocean,” he stated.
Addressing the media, Lieutenant Commander Isuru Suriyabandara, Sri Lanka Navy Spokesman, said that the SLN and the Royal Australian Navy (RAN) had a long history of cooperation, and that IPE19 would be an opportunity to develop inter-operability and cooperation between the two navies. As Indo-Pacific nations, Australia and Sri Lanka are working together on maritime security interests in the Indian Ocean, Mr Philp stressed.
Engaging with Sri Lankan forces through IPE19, the Australians will be showing how the ADF build cooperation between the three armed forces, diplomatic services and the government, Air Commodore Owen pointed out. “Trust for partnerships begin with personal understanding and relationships,” he said, pointing out that military personnel were most likely to be first responders during natural disasters. “I have 1,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen and women who are individual ambassadors from Australia, and they are ready and eager to get ashore and engage with their Sri Lankan counterparts at personal, ship level and national level,” he stated. “We want to be a trusted partner for Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean,” he stressed.
After departing Sri Lanka, IPE19 ships and assets will visit other regional partners including India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.