The Commanding Officer of the amphibious transport dock ship New Orleans (LPD 18) visited the Commander, Sri Lankan Western Naval Area Command July 25.

Capt. Glenn Jamison, New Orleans' commanding officer, met with Rear Adm. KKJ De Silva, commander of Sri Lankan Western Naval Area Command, during New Orleans' port visit to Colombo to conduct a subject matter expert exchange on humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

"We are very excited to work with and learn from the U.S. Navy," said De Silva during the meeting.

Jamison spoke to the monumental importance of the visit and what it means for relations between the United States and Sri Lanka.

"This is a very important engagement in building relations and enhancing bilateral ties with the Sri Lanka navy" he said. "We have similar ideas and priorities in maintaining security and safety on the seas, so this is a great opportunity for extending our capabilities for interoperability."

New Orleans is part of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group and, with embarked 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, is visiting Sri Lanka while operating in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operations in support of security and stability in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region

For more information on the New Orleans, visit www.facebook.com/BigEasy18

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.

For more news from COMPHIBRON 1, visit www.navy.mil/.