Sri Lanka has discussed obtaining specialised disaster relief equipment from the United States in talks between Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) and General Steven Nordhaus, Chief of the US National Guard Bureau.

The two met on 1 September in Canada, the Ministry of Defence said, covering disaster response, infrastructure resilience and defence engagement. Ada Derana reported the statement on Thursday without specifying the date of the meeting.

What was discussed

The ministry said particular attention was given to strengthening disaster response preparedness “through the provision and development of specialised equipment and capabilities” for humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. It did not identify what equipment was sought, name a cost, or indicate whether any US commitment followed.

Thuyacontha invited the United States to expand bilateral engagement and maintain regular dialogue to identify further areas of mutual interest.

Two meetings, same day

The National Guard Bureau administers the US State Partnership Program, under which Sri Lanka’s armed forces are paired with the Montana National Guard — a partnership established in 2021 and formalised in a memorandum of understanding signed in November 2025 covering disaster response.

On the same day the two men met in Canada, a Montana National Guard delegation led by Brigadier General Trace Thomas and Brigadier General Renea Dorvall was at the Ministry of Defence in Colombo, meeting Additional Secretary Indika Wijegunawardana on the sidelines of Exercise Atlas Angel II, the five-day joint disaster response exercise running at SLAF Katunayake.

Context

The Canada meeting came during the Chiefs of Defence Conference in Victoria, where Thuyacontha also asked NATO for help modernising military hardware and cyber capabilities in talks with the alliance’s Military Committee chairman on 31 August.

No US statement on the Nordhaus discussion was reported, and neither account described an agreement, framework or timeline.

Sources