US keen to expand defence cooperation with Sri Lanka - US Envoy Julie Chung

The State Partnership Program (SPP) Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Montana National Guard and the Ministry of Defence—signed on November 14 reinforces the shared commitment to transparency and trust, U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka Julie Chung has stated.

Ambassador Julie Chung noted that the US is looking forward to expanding cooperation through the SPP, especially on disaster response, maritime security and professional military exchanges— benefiting both nations and contributing to a more secure Indo-Pacific.

The United States and Sri Lanka on Friday signed a MoU at the Ministry of Defense, formalizing a defense partnership between the Montana National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard District 13, and the Sri Lankan Armed Forces under the U.S. Department of Defense’s State Partnership Program (SPP).

U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung, Adjutant General of the Montana National Guard Brigadier General Trenton Gibson, and the Secretary of Defense Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, signed the MOU marking a historic milestone in U.S.–Sri Lanka defense relations, underscoring both nations’ shared commitment to regional stability, maritime security, and professional military collaboration in the Indo-Pacific to advance our common goal of peace through partnership, U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka said in a statement.