American and Sri Lankan personnel offload humanitarian relief supplies in Trichomalee, Sri Lanka, Dec. 12, 2025. (Jacob Wood/U.S. Air Force)
U.S. military personnel delivered roughly 188 tons of relief supplies to Sri Lanka in the week following the devastating Cyclone Ditwah in late November, the Air Force said in a news release Tuesday.
The U.S. rapidly deployed a pair of C-130J Super Hercules cargo planes from Yokota Air Base, Japan, that carried 70 personnel and relief supplies to aid hard-to-reach areas of the island nation off the southeast tip of India.
Heavy rains from the cyclone caused flooding and mudslides after the storm made landfall on Nov. 27.
As of Dec. 31, the disaster had displaced more than 205,000 people, damaged or destroyed almost 119,000 homes, killed 644 people and left 175 missing, according to the United Nations International Organization for Migration.
Twelve C-130J sorties from Katunayake Air Base — Sri Lanka’s largest air force base — delivered 377,150 pounds of aid, which included caches of food, drinking water, shelters, emergency first-aid items and communications equipment, the Air Force said. The mission was supported by the 36th Contingency Response at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa.
The relief was aimed at the hardest-hit regions of Ampara, Anuradhapura, Jaffna, Mattala, Ratmalana and Trincomalee, according to the release.
The commander of Pacific Air Forces, Gen. Kevin Schneider, touted the aid as a testament to the strength of America’s growing partnership with Sri Lanka.
“By working closely with our Sri Lankan counterparts, we were able to support relief efforts for communities affected by the cyclone and deliver critical assistance where it was needed most,” Schneider said in the news release. “This collaboration underscores our shared commitment to saving lives and supporting one another in times of need.”
The rapid deployment was possible because of a November defense agreement between the two nations that formalized cooperation in disaster response and relief, among other aspects such as joint training and cyber defense.
That pact allowed the U.S. to issue a $2.1 million humanitarian relief package withing 72 hours of the cyclone making landfall, the Air Force said.
That package included logistics equipment such as fuel trucks, forklifts, lights, generators, parts and portable cargo-loaders, the Air Force said.
