Pacific Airlift Rally - 2011(PAR 11)
9:41pm on Friday 19th August 2011
Sri Lanka Air Force held a press conference today (19th August 2011) at the Air Force Headquarters auditorium to announce the co-hosting of ‘Pacific Airlift Rally 2011’ with the Pacific Air Command of the United State Air Force.
The Pacific Airlift Rally is a biennial symposium/air exercise involving Pacific region nation air forces. The event is organized by the Pacific Air Force, which is the air component of the United States Pacific Command with a selected Air Force in the pacific region as a co-hosting nation. SLAF is the co-host of the Pacific Airlift Rally 2011 with the United States Pacific Air Force. This is the first time in the history of the Sri Lanka Air Force where it co-hosts an international event of such magnitude. The event is scheduled to be conducted from 22nd August 2011 to 26th August 2011.
Aim of the Pacific Airlift Rally is to enhance military airlift interoperability and to build partnerships between nations in the pacific region, with a focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
Pacific Airlift Rally events include an international seminar, a Command Post Exercise (table top exercise) focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief coordination between the multiple countries and a Field Training Exercise to carry out disaster relief, Para drop, Para troop, cargo drop and various other tactical flying relating to the command post exercise scenario utilizing C-130 Hercules Aircraft.
This type of combined multinational exercises is conducted world over in view of enhancing interaction with regional Air Forces and exposing them to international experience. Similarly, PAR 11 would be a golden opportunity for us as the SLAF and as a country to boost up competency of the operators as well as to build up mutual understanding between regional countries, in assessing the capability of handling such an eventuality.
This will be conducted as two individual exercises as Command Post Exercise (CPX) at SLAF Base Ratmalana and Field Training Exercise (FTX) at SLAF Ampara which will execute parallel to each other. In these exercises Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and Vietnam as well as the two co-hosts Sri Lanka and United States is scheduled to participate.
The Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Andrew Wijesuriya welcomed the members of the media and then the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama the importance of hosting this event. This was followed by a presentation carried out by the Director Air Operation Air Vice Marshal Gagan Bulathsinhala. The main coordinator of the event Air Commodore Sumangala Dias, FTX coordinator Group Captain Nishantha Thilakasinghe and CPX coordinator Wing Commander Sarika Aranayaka were also present on the panel.
The Pacific Airlift Rally is a biennial symposium/air exercise involving Pacific region nation air forces. The event is organized by the Pacific Air Force, which is the air component of the United States Pacific Command with a selected Air Force in the pacific region as a co-hosting nation. SLAF is the co-host of the Pacific Airlift Rally 2011 with the United States Pacific Air Force. This is the first time in the history of the Sri Lanka Air Force where it co-hosts an international event of such magnitude. The event is scheduled to be conducted from 22nd August 2011 to 26th August 2011.
Aim of the Pacific Airlift Rally is to enhance military airlift interoperability and to build partnerships between nations in the pacific region, with a focus on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.
Pacific Airlift Rally events include an international seminar, a Command Post Exercise (table top exercise) focusing on humanitarian assistance and disaster relief coordination between the multiple countries and a Field Training Exercise to carry out disaster relief, Para drop, Para troop, cargo drop and various other tactical flying relating to the command post exercise scenario utilizing C-130 Hercules Aircraft.
This type of combined multinational exercises is conducted world over in view of enhancing interaction with regional Air Forces and exposing them to international experience. Similarly, PAR 11 would be a golden opportunity for us as the SLAF and as a country to boost up competency of the operators as well as to build up mutual understanding between regional countries, in assessing the capability of handling such an eventuality.
This will be conducted as two individual exercises as Command Post Exercise (CPX) at SLAF Base Ratmalana and Field Training Exercise (FTX) at SLAF Ampara which will execute parallel to each other. In these exercises Australia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Canada, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Tonga and Vietnam as well as the two co-hosts Sri Lanka and United States is scheduled to participate.
The Air Force Spokesman Group Captain Andrew Wijesuriya welcomed the members of the media and then the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Harsha Abeywickrama the importance of hosting this event. This was followed by a presentation carried out by the Director Air Operation Air Vice Marshal Gagan Bulathsinhala. The main coordinator of the event Air Commodore Sumangala Dias, FTX coordinator Group Captain Nishantha Thilakasinghe and CPX coordinator Wing Commander Sarika Aranayaka were also present on the panel.
