The Multinational Planning Augmentation Team (MPAT) Tempest Express – 24 Staff Planning Workshop in Colombo will take place from April 1, 2014 to April 9, 2014 at Galadari Hotel.  

This multinational exercise will be co-hosted by the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff on behalf of the Ministry of Defence and Urban Development and the United States Pacific Command on behalf of the US Department of Defence.

The opening Ceremony of the Exercise will take place tomorrow (1 April) at 0830 hrs at the Galadari Hotel with Chief of Defence Staff General J Jayasuriya attending as Chief Guest.  The Closing Ceremony will be held under the patronage of the Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Jayanath Colomboge on 9 April 2014.  The US Ambassador H.E. Michell J Sisson will attend as Guest of Honour.

A total of 23 participants from the Sri Lankan Defence Forces will take part in this exercise with 21 observers from the relevant Ministries and Departments of Sri Lanka in attendance. Meanwhile the foreign participants for this multinational endeavor will include 20 officials from the United States of America and representatives from 15 other countries namely, Vietnam, Canada, Bangladesh, Australia, Philippines, New Zealand, Nepal, Maldives, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Singapore, Thailand and Japan.

During the exercise the participants from these countries and relevant agencies will consider many mutually relevant aspects including as to how they can extend mutual support to each other during natural or man made disasters.

Exercises of this nature promote mutual understanding and interoperability of participating countries and their armed forces and other relevant agencies.