Ministry of Defence  – Media Centre

Commander of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM), Admiral Samuel Paparo called on the Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) Thursday (Mar 20) at the Deputy Minister’s office.

During the meeting, Admiral Paparo and Major General Jayasekara (Retd) engaged in discussions on a range of bilateral defence and security matters. Both parties emphasized the importance of strengthening defence cooperation to promote regional stability.

Admiral Paparo emphasized the enduring security partnership between the U.S. and Sri Lanka while outlining the U.S. vision for promoting regional stability and security in the Indo-Pacific. He reaffirmed the U.S. commitment to supporting Sri Lanka, highlighting the significance of people-to-people ties, providing assistance in maritime domain awareness (MDA) to address non-traditional security threats, offering technical know how and sharing expertise assistance for the development of the Maritime Security Strategy.

Admiral Paparo’s visit underscores the United States’ on-going commitment to enhancing security cooperation with Sri Lanka and addressing shared challenges in the Indo-Pacific.

The Defence Attache at the U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka, Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Nelson, Executive Assistant, Captain Toraason, Political Advisor, Mr. David Ranz and Commander Rama Mutyala also joined the discussion with the Deputy Minister.