US Pacific Fleet commander visits Sri Lanka to deepen military ties

The commander of the United States Pacific Fleet, Admiral Steve ‘Web’ Koehler, arrived in Sri Lanka last week for a three-day visit, as Washington moves to deepen security cooperation with Colombo despite longstanding concerns over human rights abuses and militarisation in the Tamil homeland.

According to a statement released by the United States Embassy in Colombo, Admiral Koehler’s visit from 19 to 21 February involved engagements with Sri Lankan government officials and military counterparts to discuss “advancing cooperation in maritime security, regional stability, and to enhance collaboration and interoperability”.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet, described as the largest naval fleet command in the world, operates across the Indo-Pacific. The Embassy said the Admiral’s visit “highlights the strategic importance the United States places on Sri Lanka’s role at the crossroads of global maritime routes” and underlines “our shared long-term commitment to a free, open, and prosperous Indo-Pacific”.

The visit marks Admiral Koehler’s second trip to Sri Lanka.

On 20 February, the US Embassy in Colombo stated that the visit also focused on economic cooperation linked to maritime security. In a post on social media, the Embassy said, “The U.S.-Sri Lanka security relationship strengthens more than defense — it supports economic security for both our countries. 

“At the Port of Colombo, Admiral Steve Koehler met with Sri Lanka Ports Authority to explore opportunities to strengthen maritime security. When Sri Lanka can safeguard its waters & operate a secure, efficient global transshipment hub, trade moves smoothly, businesses grow, & jobs are supported — in Sri Lanka & in the United States. Our U.S.-SL partnership is built on transparency, trust, & mutual benefit at one of the world’s most important maritime crossroads.”

The US has increasingly framed its engagement with Sri Lanka through the lens of maritime security. Officials have repeatedly described the partnership as one grounded in “mutual benefit”.

However, the deepening military relationship has drawn concern from Tamil groups and human rights advocates, who have long warned that strengthening Sri Lanka’s security apparatus without accountability risks entrenching structures responsible for decades of abuses in the North-East.

Sri Lanka’s armed forces remain heavily deployed across the Tamil homeland, where land occupation, surveillance, and military involvement in civilian life continue almost seventeen years after the end of the armed conflict. International organisations and rights groups have documented extensive allegations of war crimes, enforced disappearances, torture and extrajudicial killings involving Sri Lankan security forces, for which no senior official has been held accountable.