The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) and the U.S. Navy have been training together in and above the Indian Ocean to promote maritime security and interoperability between allies.
This year’s Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise was the 32nd iteration of the annual serial, designed to enhance maritime interoperability, strengthen partnerships, and promote regional security cooperation.
CARAT Sri Lanka 2026, the sixth time CARAT has been staged in the country, saw participation from assets forming part of U.S. 7th Fleet in the Indo-Pacific, the Navy’s largest forward-deployed fleet. They included a P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from Commander Task Force 72 and sailors from Destroyer Squadron 7 (DESRON-7).
The American sailors carried out drills alongside SLN personnel including visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) training in the Indian Ocean in the waters off Trincomalee, Sri Lanka.
And Sri Lankan crews worked alongside U.S. Navy P-8A Poseidon aircrew, practising maritime domain awareness (MDA) and airborne reconnaissance and information-sharing. Other drills carried out included topics such as tactical medical skills and explosive ordnance disposal.
DESRON-7 commander U.S. Navy Capt. John Baggett commented: “We are grateful for the opportunity to come back to Sri Lanka and execute the sixth iteration of CARAT Sri Lanka. In a critical region like the Indian Ocean, our partnerships that we foster through exercises like CARAT are paramount to upholding stability.”
- You can read more details on the U.S.Navy website
