At the handover ceremony, High Commissioner Holly said “The Australian Department of Defence is pleased to continue its support to Sri Lanka’s establishment of a National Defence
College which will provide professional military education to senior officers from all three services. Australia has been involved with the National Defence College since its inception when then Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull visited Sri Lanka in 2017 and pledged Australia’s support for this important institution”.

The 600 books consist of 173 different titles covering subjects relating to international relations, strategy, economics, politics and history, and will assist in establishing the college’s library prior to the start of academic courses in 2021.

In the early stages of the college’s establishment, Australia seconded a Royal Australian Navy Captain to support curriculum development staff to design the strategic studies courses offered by the college. Currently, as a part of ongoing support to the college, the Australian Department of Defence is sponsoring a Sri Lankan Navy officer to study a Masters of National Security Policy at the Australian National University’s National Security College for 18 months.