The United States and Sri Lanka have formalized their defense partnership through a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) signed on November 14, 2025, at the Ministry of Defense in Colombo. The agreement involves the Montana National Guard, U.S. Coast Guard District 13, and the Sri Lanka Armed Forces under the State Partnership Program (SPP).
U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung, Brigadier General Trenton Gibson, Adjutant General of the Montana National Guard, and Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha, Secretary of Defense for Sri Lanka, signed the MOU. This marks a significant development in defense relations between the two countries.
Ambassador Chung commented on the new phase in cooperation: “From wildfire response and flood relief in Montana to peacekeeping and humanitarian efforts overseas, the Montana National Guard has a proud record of service and professionalism. This partnership with Sri Lanka, reaffirmed through today’s MOU, strengthens our shared resolve for a secure Indo-Pacific—building trust, readiness, and lasting peace through partnership.”
Sri Lankan Defense Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) stated: “This agreement represents a progressive initiative that will further enhance Sri Lanka’s defense capabilities and reinforce the enduring partnership with the United States. Over the years, our two nations have long cooperated in areas such as military training, disaster relief, and defense exchanges, fostering mutual understanding and trust. This framework will open new avenues for collaboration, promote capacity-building, and contribute to ensuring peace, security, and stability across the region.”
Brigadier General Trenton Gibson added: “We are honored to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Sri Lankan counterparts. Together, we’ll build strength, trust, and lasting bonds that enhance the security of both our nations.”
The partnership between Montana and Sri Lanka was established in 2021. Since then it has grown through joint training sessions, expert exchanges, and reciprocal visits aimed at strengthening defense cooperation. Recent collaborations include ATLAS ANGEL 2024 and PACIFIC ANGEL 2025 exercises focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster response.
In August 2025, U.S. Coast Guard District 13 hosted Sri Lankan Coast Guard officers in Seattle for joint training on oil spill response techniques such as hazardous waste operations and shoreline recovery.
With this agreement in place Sri Lanka joins over 100 countries worldwide partnered with U.S. state National Guards under SPP. The first set of activities under this MOU is scheduled for summer 2026 with an emphasis on disaster response coordination, maritime domain awareness initiatives addressing trafficking or narcotics interdiction efforts as well as professional military education.
The focus areas for future collaboration include joint training to improve interoperability; cooperation on maritime issues; crisis response; aviation operations; medical support; engineering activities; military-civilian disaster preparedness; response; recovery efforts.
The State Partnership Program was created by the U.S. Department of Defense after the Cold War to foster relationships between state National Guards and partner militaries worldwide by supporting civil-military preparedness measures along with critical infrastructure protection or modernization efforts.
Today every U.S. state’s National Guard along with three territories plus Washington D.C., maintains partnerships promoting global peace through shared training programs or humanitarian missions.