The United States will hold its first ever joint naval exercise with Sri Lanka in October, announced US Acting Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells at the Indian Ocean Conference this week.

Speaking at the conference in Colombo, Ms Wells said that the move was part of “expanding our navy-to-navy relationship with Sri Lanka”.

She also spoke of how expanding naval cooperation is another priority for the United States. “The US-India-Japan MALABAR Naval exercise in July was our largest and most complex to date, involving over ten thousand personnel,” she noted.

The Assistant Secretary of State called for a “common vision for the Indian Ocean that enhances economic growth, transparent development, and regional integration”. “Regional initiatives that prioritize accountability, open markets, and delivery of tangible benefits to citizens of the region will be the most sustainable,” she said. 

Ms Wells also reaffirmed what she said was “a long-standing facet of U.S. foreign policy,” by saying the “United States is – and will continue to be – an Indo-Pacific power.” 

“For more than seven decades, we have embraced the responsibilities this distinction requires across this vast expanse, from the shores of East Africa to the western coast of the Americas,” she said. “This will not change in the decades to come.”

See the full text of her speech here.

During her visit to the island, Ms Wells also met with Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena on Thursday, where the two reportedly discussed “democratic reforms and reconciliation process” on the island and with Indian Foreign Secretary Jaishankar on the margins of the Indian Ocean Conference.