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Leap in US-Lanka naval ties
View(s):Just days before US Secretary of State John Kerry’s visit to Sri Lanka, an encounter that signalled renewed military co-operation between Washington and Colombo played out in the Indian Ocean. The US Navy top brass rolled out the red carpet for a top level Sri Lanka Navy delegation. They landed on board their Nimitz class aircraft super carrier Carl Vinson in the high seas 225 miles off the coast of Sri Lanka.
This carrier has seen action in many theatres. In 2003, the then US President George W. Bush spoke live on television from onboard to declare the Operation Iraqi Freedom to oust Saddam Hussein had begun. In 1996, it took part in Operation Desert Strike during the Kurdish civil war. It was in the news in a big way after the body of Osama bin Laden, killed in Abbotabad in Pakistan in a daring raid on his hideout by US Navy seals, was disposed from its deck.
A US Navy C-2 transport and rescue aircraft touched down at the Bandaranaike International Airport on April 19 to ferry the Sri Lanka Navy delegation led by Commander Jayantha Perera. The nuclear powered USS Carl Vinson, named after a Congressman, was headed to Hawaii with the Carrier Battle Group 1. The home base for the aircraft carrier is San Diego in California.
An official statement said: “The delegation was received onboard by the Commanding Officer Captain Karl O. Thomas and Rear Admiral Christopher Grady, the Commander Carrier Strike Group 1. “After discussing the areas of mutual interest and visiting the ship, the delegation witnessed the versatility of its striker aircraft with combat manoeuvre exercises and also the exercises by the Anti-Submarine Warfare helicopters and the capabilities of her rescue aircraft.
“Through the stunning and daring manoeuvres by the onboard aircraft, the ship amply demonstrated her inherent capabilities to carry out missions required to ensure supremacy of air power in any battle space. It also displayed the ability to deliver the right balance and presence necessary to carry out missions in the present day war theatre.
“The visit can be considered as a leap in the relationship with the two Navies and will certainly help ensure further cooperation in the field of maritime security. It also reflects the confidence the two countries have in facing common threats together.”