‘Pac Angel 25’ highlights US commitment to excellence and partnership in Indo-Pacific: US envoy

The U.S. Embassy in Sri Lanka, together with the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) and the Ministry of Defense, marked the successful conclusion of Exercise Pacific Angel 2025 at a closing ceremony in Katunayake today. 

U.S. Ambassador Julie Chung, Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defense Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), and Air Marshal Vasu Bandu Edirisinghe, Commander of the SLAF, joined participants to celebrate the largest multinational exercise hosted in Sri Lanka this year, the US Embassy in Colombo said.

Held from September 8–12, Pacific Angel 2025 brought Indo-Pacific partners together to strengthen disaster response and humanitarian cooperation.

The exercise united participants from across the region to improve interoperability and share expertise. U.S. Pacific Forces trained alongside the Royal Australian Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, Maldivian National Defence Force, and the Bangladesh Air Force, with the Sri Lanka Navy and Army playing key roles as hosts. 

Their leadership underscored Sri Lanka’s growing role in advancing regional disaster preparedness. The program featured eight Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) covering aircraft maintenance, search and rescue, jungle survival, aeromedical patient movement, mass casualty response, and airlift operations. 

Training at SLAF Katunayake, China Bay, and Ampara gave participants hands-on skills to enhance regional readiness and coordination.

U.S. Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Julie Chung, highlighted the significance of the exercise: “Pacific Angel 25 is the largest multilateral exercise hosted in Sri Lanka this year, and we are proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with our Indo-Pacific partners.”
“This exercise demonstrates how we prepare together for real-world challenges—from disaster response to humanitarian crises—and how cooperation strengthens our collective ability to safeguard peace, stability, and prosperity across the region. What we build together today is a foundation for tomorrow’s shared security,” she said.  

Sri Lanka’s Secretary of Defense, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd), extended his deepest gratitude on behalf of the government of Sri Lanka to all participating nations to the Pacific Angel exercise, noting, “The exercise strengthens interoperability and knowledge-sharing among Indo-Pacific partners, while also reflecting the longstanding and cooperative relationship between the United States and Sri Lanka.”

“Such engagements provide an important platform to build resilience, strengthen mutual trust and contribute to the peace and stability of the region,” he further added. 

Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force, said: “The Sri Lanka Air Force is proud to co-host Pacific Angel 25, which provides an important platform to strengthen search-and-rescue and aviation operations while encouraging collaboration and knowledge-sharing among regional air forces. The exercise also deepens cooperation among Indo-Pacific partners in meeting humanitarian and security challenges together.”

Beyond operations, Pacific Angel also highlighted the human dimension. The United States Air Force Band of the Pacific ensemble “Final Approach” performed with the Sri Lanka Air Force Band, building camaraderie through music. Meanwhile, the U.S. Air Force and SLAF, working with Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Health, completed a refurbishment of the Akaragama Divisional Hospital, bringing lasting benefits to local communities.

Pacific Angel 2025 demonstrated how Indo-Pacific partners are working side by side in Sri Lanka—the host of the year’s largest multilateral exercise—to prepare for crises, strengthen disaster response, and build lasting regional cooperation, the statement said.