Commander of the Navy attends Indo-American Naval War College Conference Organized by Indian navy

The Indo-American Naval War College Conference, co-hosted by the U.S. Naval War College (NWC) and Indian Naval War College, was attended by the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera. The conference was held at the Indian Naval War College in Goa, from 16th to 18th April 2024.

With a resounding theme of “Strengthening Global Maritime Partnerships,” the conference brought together an illustrious gathering of Chiefs of Navies, Heads of Maritime Forces and prominent members in the maritime fraternity from 16 countries which included Australia, Bangladesh, Brazil, Comoros, Fiji, India, Japan, Maldives, Mauritius, Philippines, Seychelles, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Tonga, United Kingdom and United States. Rear Admiral Arjun Dev Nair, Indian Navy, Commandant, Naval War College, Goa and Rear Admiral Peter A. Garvin, U.S. Navy, President, U.S. Naval War College were the conference co-hosts. Meanwhile, Professor Thomas E. Mangold, Jr. Dean of International Programs, U.S. Naval War College was the Conference Chair.

Moreover, the Chief of the Naval Staff of India, Admiral R Hari Kumar, U.S. Pacific Fleet Prospective Commander, U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel J Paparo, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Indian Navy, Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command, Vice Admiral V Srinivas delivered keynote addresses.

The conference cast its spotlight on an array of pressing issues under the themes of "The Rules-Based International Order”, "Confidence Building Measures in the Indo-Pacific Region", “Impact of Climate Change in Maritime Domain: Challenges and Way Ahead", "Naval Developments in the Indo-Pacific", "Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing: Cooperation to Enhance Fisheries Enforcement and Build Trust", "Defence Critical Technologies & Collaborative Opportunities", "Women, Peace and Security: Progress in the Indo-Pacific Region" and "Retrospective and Perspective: the Belt and Road Initiative at Ten".

On the sidelines of the conference Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera met with several partners who attended the conference and exchanged views with them on matters pertaining to maritime security cooperation. The events culminated with exchange of mementoes, signifying the importance of the occasions.

Participating in conferences where both regional and extra-regional maritime stakeholders are involved will enable the Sri Lanka Navy to enhance its contributions to coordinated operations aimed at combating illegal activities and non-traditional maritime threats in the ocean region, ultimately ensuring the safety of navigation more effectively.

Photo courtesy - Indian Navy