Australia and Sri Lanka: Air connectivity in the Indian Ocean region
The success of the two countries’ naval cooperation shows the potential for expanded partnership.
Australia and Sri Lanka’s recent experience working together to prevent people smuggling from Sri Lanka has been one of the more significant, and largely unreported, wins in regional security cooperation. After almost a decade of close collaboration, largely focusing on naval operations, now is an opportune time to extend that cooperation into the realm of air power.
The National Security College, with the support of the Department of Defence, is leading a two-year research project on Australia’s Indo-Pacific strategy in the Indian Ocean. As a part of this project, this paper argues for a closer strategic partnership in the air power domain between Sri Lanka and Australia. This paper first appeared on the Lowy Institute’s ‘The Interpreter’ on 20 August 2020.