The Sri Lanka Navy Commander visit to India got under way this week, with Vice Admiral Damian Fernando arriving in New Delhi for a four day engagement running from 26 to 29 August aimed at strengthening bilateral maritime cooperation and deepening Navy to Navy contact between the two countries.

VAdm Fernando was given a ceremonial Guard of Honour at South Block on Thursday. He also laid a wreath at the National War Memorial in tribute to fallen soldiers, a gesture extended as a matter of course to visiting chiefs of partner navies.

Sri Lanka Navy Commander visit brings talks with the Chief of the Naval Staff

The Sri Lankan Navy chief held discussions with Adm Krishna Swaminathan, Chief of the Naval Staff, on furthering the two navies' cooperation. Defence sources said the conversation touched on joint operations, capacity building, training and measures connected to maritime security in waters both countries watch closely, given Sri Lanka's position astride some of the busiest shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean.


Fernando himself is among the officers who came up through that training relationship. The visit also follows Adm Swaminathan's own recent outreach across the region, including a call on Mauritius earlier this month.

A gunnery officer trained at INS Dronacharya

VAdm Fernando's own service record runs through Indian training establishments. He specialised in gunnery and missiles at the Indian Navy's premier training establishment, INS Dronacharya, where he was adjudged the Best All Round Officer, a distinction that predates his rise to the Sri Lanka Navy's top job by more than two decades.

Meetings with defence officials and industry

Beyond the ceremonial opening, VAdm Fernando is scheduled to meet senior defence officials during the visit and interact with representatives of the Indian defence industry, with an eye on avenues for cooperation and collaboration between the two countries' defence sectors.

A Kochi leg built around training

The visit will also take VAdm Fernando to Kochi, where he is due to visit Indian Naval training establishments and the Headquarters of Southern Naval Command. The stop is billed as a chance to enhance training linkages and professional exchanges, an area where Southern Naval Command, the Indian Navy's designated training command and a stop CNS Adm Krishna Swaminathan himself reviewed in July, has long served as the anchor for regional partners such as Sri Lanka.

Assuming charge in July

VAdm Fernando took over as the 27th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy on 1 July 2026, and the India trip is his first official visit abroad in the appointment. It comes weeks before Defence Minister Rajnath Singh's own planned visit to Colombo in September to review the India Sri Lanka Defence Cooperation MoU. The Indian Navy has described Sri Lanka as an important and longstanding maritime partner, and cast the Sri Lanka Navy Commander visit as a step toward consolidating the multifaceted Navy to Navy relationship between the two countries, with an eye on greater stability across the Indian Ocean Region.