UK Defence Attaché, Deputy Defence Minister Discuss Expanded
Disaster Relief and Defence Cooperation
December 08, 2025
The United Kingdom Defence Attaché to Sri Lanka, Colonel Keith Miles, met with the Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General Aruna Jayasekara (Retd), at the Disaster Management Centre today (08 December) for discussions focused on strengthening bilateral cooperation in disaster management and defence capacity building.
During the meeting, the Deputy Minister briefed Colonel Miles on the current humanitarian situation in the aftermath of the recent disaster, outlining the national response mechanisms and the ongoing rescue, relief, and recovery efforts led by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces and other government agencies. He highlighted the urgent requirements for effective coordination to ensure timely assistance to affected communities.
Colonel Miles reaffirmed the United Kingdom’s commitment to supporting Sri Lanka during this challenging period. He conveyed the UK’s intention to provide essential relief items to assist affected families, contributing to the ongoing humanitarian operations and helping to ease the hardships faced by thousands impacted by the disaster.
The discussion also explored future avenues of collaboration in disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. Colonel Miles sought further information on Sri Lanka’s priority needs to enhance resilience and improve coordinated disaster management capabilities in the coming months.
In addition to humanitarian cooperation, the talks extended to broader defence relations between the two countries. Colonel Miles shared the UK’s plans to offer advanced military training programmes for senior officers of the Sri Lankan Tri Forces, aimed at strengthening defence professionalism and operational readiness.
