Colombo, Sri Lanka (Khyber Mail): The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) will make history in January 2025 as it assumes command of the Combined Task Force (CTF) 154, part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), the world’s largest maritime coalition, based in Bahrain. This marks the first time in its 74-year history that the SLN will lead an international maritime force.
Sri Lanka’s Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, announced this milestone, emphasizing that a team of SLN officers will be dispatched to Bahrain later this year to facilitate a smooth transition. “This opportunity is a tremendous recognition of the Sri Lanka Navy’s professionalism and long-standing commitment to maritime security in the region,” Vice Admiral Perera said during a media briefing yesterday.
The CTF 154 mission focuses on training partner navies to improve their operational capabilities and enhance regional maritime security. The SLN’s leadership of this task force highlights its growing role in promoting safe seas free from piracy, terrorism, and other maritime threats.
Sri Lanka joined the CMF in November 2023, after years of efforts to secure a place in the 46-member multinational maritime coalition, which was formed in the early 2000s in response to global maritime security concerns.
Yesterday, Commodore Haytham Elsayed Khalil, Commander of CTF 154, met with Vice Admiral Perera at Navy Headquarters in Colombo to discuss key bilateral issues and the SLN’s future command of the task force.
This leadership role marks a significant moment in the Sri Lanka Navy’s evolution and its contribution to global maritime security.