US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs S. Paul Kapur announced on Monday that the United States will provide a Fleet Broadband satellite communications system, worth approximately US$4 million (over Rs.1.2 billion), to the Sri Lanka Navy for installation across its offshore patrol vessel fleet.
The handover was announced aboard the SLNS Gajabahu at the Port of Colombo, where Deputy Defence Minister Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd) and Navy Commander Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda hosted Kapur during his three-day visit to the country. The system — manufactured by Cobham and Inmarsat — will enable secure ship-to-ship and ship-to-shore communications well beyond coastal range, allowing Sri Lankan vessels to maintain real-time connectivity with headquarters, aircraft and partner navies across remote parts of the Indian Ocean.
“Today we announced the delivery of US satellite communications technology to the Sri Lanka Navy, our Indo-Pacific partner,” Kapur said. “This secure, real-time connection — representing a transformational upgrade for the Sri Lanka Navy — will be available aboard their entire fleet of offshore patrol vessels and ensures no communication gap at sea.”
The US Embassy said the package is intended to strengthen maritime domain awareness, support emergency response, help interdict vessels engaged in illicit trafficking, track sanctioned vessels and protect supply lines that underpin regional commerce. Jayasekara said the terminals would markedly improve the Navy’s ability to share information with regional partners and coordinate responses to illicit activity.
The announcement is the most concrete deliverable from Kapur’s three-day visit to Colombo, which has run alongside the parallel visit of US Pacific Air Forces commander Gen. Kevin Schneider. Sri Lanka’s offshore patrol fleet operates across some of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, currently shadowed by the continuing dispute over transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
