Amidst often repeated high profile accusations that China had secured control of the Hambantota port at the expense of Sri Lanka’s sovereignty, a relatively large scale joint US-SL naval exercise is now underway there with the participation of hundreds of personnel.
The US-Lanka exercise, conducted in terms of the ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training Exercise (CARAT) - 2019,’ is the second involving foreign forces here this year.
Australian naval forces conducted a far larger exercise several weeks ago. The Australian exercise Indo-Pacific Endeavour 2019 (IPE-19) involving over 1,000 personnel conducted in several theaters, including Colombo coincided with the 40th sessions of the Geneva-based United Nations Human Rights Council in Feb-March 2019.
Sri Lanka formally handed over Hambantota port to China in early Dec 2017 in terms of a $ 1.12-billion agreement in respect of a 99-year lease of the strategically situated port.
In July, 2017 China Merchants Port Holdings Company agreed to pay $1.12 billion for an 85 percent share in Hambantota port on a 99-year lease.
CARAT was last held in Trincomalee in Oct 2017.
Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS ‘Spruance’ and Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport USS ‘Millinocket,’ which is part of the United States Military Sealift Command arrived at Hambantota port on Thursday for CARAT 2019 inaugurated in 1995 during the then President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga’s presidency. The 103m long ‘Millinocket’ has a displacement of 2362 tons, while ‘Spruance’ is 155.3m long and has a displacement capacity of 9580 tons.
Director Naval Operations (DNO) Commodore Sanjeewa Dias and Naval Advisor to the US embassy in Sri Lanka Lieutenant Commander Brian Padge were at the Hambantota port to welcome the ships. Sri Lanka Navy welcomed them in accordance with naval traditions.
The United States issued in early Oct 2018, possibly its strongest warning to Sri Lanka as regards growing Chinese presence here. The warning was given by no less a person than US Vice President Mike Pence. President Trump’s right hand man asserted that the Hambantota Port might soon become a forward military base for China’s growing blue-water navy. Pence was quoted as having said at the Hudson Institute that China used ‘debt diplomacy’ to expand its influence today and that China was offering hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure loans to governments in Asia, Africa, Europe and even Latin America. Pence alleged that Sri Lanka took on ‘massive debt’ to let Chinese state companies build a port of questionable commercial value.
Premier Wickremesinghe immediately rejected the US. Addressing a programme at London’s Oxford University days after US statement, Premier Wickremesinghe said some people were seeing "imaginary Chinese Naval bases in Sri Lanka.
The Hambantota exercise conducted in two phases, inshore and offshore involves SLNS Sayurala (P 623) and SLNS Samudura (P 621).
An SLN officer told The Island that the exercise was meant to strengthen the maritime security and cooperation through small boat handling, diving exercises, anti-terrorist operations.
Responding to another query, the senior officer said that contrary to reports, the Southern Naval Command headquarters hadn’t been moved to Hanbantota though Naval Officer-in Charge, Hambantota appointed to enhance SLN role there. Southern Command Headquarters remains at Galle. The Island learns that major SLN assets were not based at Hambantota port at the moment.
Hambantota International Port Group (HIPG) and Hambantota International Port Services (HIPS), established by the China Merchants Port Holdings Company and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority, respectively manage the port. Stepped up Chinese investments here is part of its controversial Belt and Road Initiative meant to expand its footprint in the Indian Ocean.
Authoritative military sources told The Island that the US bilateral engagement in Sri Lanka had been sharply enhanced with the change of government in January 2015 whereas the US-India-Japan combine, too, seek better cooperation on maritime matters as part of its overall strategy to meet the growing Chinese challenge.
The US Navy announced in Oct 2018 the setting up of what it called logistic hub in Sri Lanka to secure support, supplies and services at sea. The announcement was made towards the end of the first week of December, 2018. The US Navy first operated the air logistic hub in late August 2018.
Sri Lanka is among countries involved in exercises/engagements at different levels with the US military. The group comprised Australia, Japan, India, South Korea, Vietnam, Singapore, Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Maldives, Mongolia, Brunei, Guam, the Philippines, Tonga and Timor -Leste.
In the run up to last presidential election in January 2015, India raised serious concern over what it called a nuclear powered Chinese submarine visiting the Colombo port in Oct-Nov 2014.
Submarine Changzheng-2 and warship Chang Xing Dao arrived at the port on Friday, about two months after another Chinese submarine, a long-range deployment patrol, called at the same port ahead of a visit to South Asia by Chinese President Xi Jinping. The then government has denied Chinese nuclear power submarines visiting Colombo.
