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Sri Lanka Navy Commander Vice Admiral Damian Fernando’s first overseas visit since assuming the Chief’s post has underscored Colombo’s growing maritime and defence engagement with India, with the two sides discussing maritime security, joint operations, training, capacity building and closer professional cooperation.
Fernando visited India from August 26-29, with engagements in New Delhi and Kochi involving India’s senior defence leadership, the Southern Naval Command, training establishments and the defence industry. He returned to Sri Lanka on August 30.
In New Delhi, Fernando held talks with the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, on strengthening cooperation between the two navies, including joint operations, training, and capacity-building initiatives. The discussions also explored expanding training opportunities and professional exchanges in support of maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.
Fernando separately called on the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. N.S. Raja Subramani, Defence Secretary Rajesh Kumar Singh and Vice Chief of the Air Staff Air Marshal Ashutosh Dixit. The engagements reviewed ongoing activities and projects under the Bilateral Defence Cooperation Plan, besides discussing joint training, capability enhancement and closer air and maritime cooperation.
The Sri Lankan Navy Chief also engaged with India’s defence industry to explore potential areas of cooperation and gain an understanding of Indian capabilities and technologies relevant to the maritime and defence sectors.
The Kochi leg of the visit focused on the longstanding training relationship between the two navies. Fernando visited INS Dronacharya, the Indian Navy’s gunnery and missile training establishment, where he had undergone specialist training earlier in his career and was adjudged the Best All Round Officer.
His return to the establishment more than two decades later highlighted the depth of the professional military-to-military relationship between India and Sri Lanka. In Kochi, he also met Vice Admiral Sameer Saxena, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, with discussions centred on existing naval training exchanges and expanding opportunities for professional development.
The visit comes against the backdrop of India and Sri Lanka’s shared interest in maintaining a secure and stable Indian Ocean. For India, Sri Lanka occupies a strategically important position astride major sea lanes in the Indian Ocean, making sustained naval cooperation, maritime domain awareness, and capacity building key elements of the bilateral security relationship.
Fernando’s visit therefore went beyond routine military engagement, bringing together strategic-level defence dialogue, operational cooperation, training exchanges and potential industrial collaboration. It is expected to provide further momentum to the two navies’ efforts to enhance maritime security and stability in the region.
Team BharatShakti
