USS Anchorage & 13th MEU Arrive in Sri Lanka

Amphibious transport dock USS Anchorage (LPD 23), with the embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) arrived in Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, for a scheduled port visit yesterday.

During the visit, Sailors and Marines will have opportunities to explore the local area and meet with their counterparts during exercises with the Sri Lankan Navy and Marines. The visit is also an opportunity for U.S. Seventh Fleet to explore local logistics support services for visiting naval forces operating throughout the Indo-Pacific region, a US embssay release said.

Part of a growing U.S.-Sri Lanka naval partnership, the visit follows the Sri Lankan Navy's inaugural participation in exercise Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), which concluded Aug. 2, as well as exercise Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) Sri Lanka, held for the first time last year.

Robert Hilton, Chargé d'affaires ad interim of the United States Embassy in Colombo, Sri Lanka, welcomed the arrival of the USS Anchorage and embarked MEU.