Sri Lanka has taken part in high-level discussions on regional and international security at the 28th Annual Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence (CHOD) Conference, held in Victoria, Canada, from 31 August to 2 September 2026.
Defence Secretary Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) represented Sri Lanka at the three-day conference, participating in multilateral discussions on key security concerns affecting the region and the wider international community. He shared Sri Lanka’s perspectives on evolving security dynamics and emerging challenges, while emphasising the importance of strengthening cooperation among Indo-Pacific partners.
The conference was co-hosted by Canada’s Chief of the Defence Staff, General Jennie Carignan, and the Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo. This year’s meeting was held under the theme “Strengthening Collective Security: Navigating Challenges in a Dynamic Indo-Pacific Landscape.”
The gathering brought together defence and military heads from around 30 countries, providing a forum for participating countries to exchange views and insights on the thematic issues under discussion.
Sri Lanka’s participation provided an opportunity to present its perspectives directly within a multilateral setting involving senior military leaders from across the Indo-Pacific. The discussions focused on regional and international security concerns, evolving security dynamics and emerging challenges, as participating countries considered the importance of closer cooperation among Indo-Pacific partners.
The conference also provided an opportunity for Sri Lanka to pursue bilateral engagement alongside the wider multilateral discussions. On the sidelines of the meeting, Defence Secretary Thuyacontha held a series of bilateral meetings with senior defence officials and heads of defence from several participating countries.
Those meetings focused on matters of mutual interest and explored avenues for strengthening bilateral defence cooperation. Areas discussed included military training, capacity building, maritime security, cybersecurity, disaster preparedness and professional military exchanges.
The range of issues addressed in the bilateral engagements reflects the broad scope of defence cooperation discussed during the conference, extending beyond conventional military concerns to maritime security, cyber-related challenges, disaster preparedness and professional exchanges.
Sri Lanka’s presence at the conference therefore combined participation in multilateral security discussions with direct engagement with defence leaders from participating countries. Through both channels, the Defence Secretary shared Sri Lanka’s views on the changing security environment while exploring opportunities to strengthen cooperation in areas identified as being of mutual interest.
The 28th Annual Indo-Pacific Chiefs of Defence Conference brought together senior military leadership from around 30 countries at a time when regional partners were examining evolving security dynamics and emerging challenges. For Sri Lanka, the conference served as a platform to articulate its perspectives while advancing discussions on practical areas of bilateral defence cooperation.
