OPINION | Operation Sagar Bandhu Advances SAGAR Through Naval HADR in Sri Lanka

by Ashu Mann

The ties between India and Sri Lanka, shaped by geography and decades of steady engagement, found a new expression this week. An Indian naval vessel, INS Gharial, arrived in Colombo carrying ten Bailey bridges for areas affected by Cyclone Ditwah. The shipment is part of India’s humanitarian response and highlights the Navy’s role under Operation Sagar Bandhu as a dependable first responder in the region. In many ways, the bridges being delivered reflect the broader bridge of goodwill between the two neighboring countries.

Naval diplomacy between India and Sri Lanka stretches back decades. The 2004 tsunami disrupted normal bureaucratic rhythms, and India was the first external responder. Subsequent missions followed: cyclonic disruptions in 2016, devastating floods in 2017, fuel crisis assistance, oxygen shipments in 2021 during COVID-related pressure, and support during the 2022–23 economic breakdown. Most of these interventions were not dramatic; some were modest. Yet they reinforced the perception that Indian assistance arrives quickly and without the hedging that often accompanies high diplomacy.

The delivery of Bailey bridges underscores that pattern. Sri Lanka’s reconstruction needs are practical, not theatrical. A bridge may be little more than steel and bolts, but in a post-disaster setting, it becomes a symbol of functional partnership. Senior Sri Lankan officials have noted privately that speed matters more than slogans. India appears to have internalized that lesson.

In recent years, this humanitarian track record has merged with a broader maritime partnership. The establishment of the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre in Sri Lanka, funded and technically supported by India, was not an isolated initiative. It grew from years of cooperation during crises. The recurring deployment of Indian Navy Dornier aircraft for surveillance missions in Sri Lankan waters has further normalized operational coordination. As one official put it, it reflects a pattern of comfort that did not always exist in earlier decades.

There is also a strategic undercurrent, even if it rarely surfaces in official statements. The Indian Ocean is increasingly crowded with competing naval presences, and Sri Lanka’s geographic position draws sustained interest. India’s reliability during crises creates a form of diplomatic gravity that nudges Colombo toward policies aligned with regional stability. That does not imply automatic policy convergence. Sri Lanka continues to pursue a careful balancing act among partners. However, cooperation in disaster response makes disagreements easier to manage.

In this maritime context, trust is not built on shared ideology but on repeated, low-drama interactions. A ship delivers equipment. A helicopter arrives with medical personnel. A surveillance flight locates a distressed vessel. Over time, these moments accumulate into political muscle memory.

The INS Gharial mission also came in a year when Sri Lanka’s government has signaled its intent to stabilize strategic alignments. Restrictions on high-tech foreign research vessels, following episodes that generated regional concern, suggest a preference to avoid actions that complicate cooperation with immediate neighbors. While officials describe these measures as administrative, the broader context is difficult to overlook: Sri Lanka has developed smoother operational relationships with India than with some other external actors.

This does not mean Colombo’s calculations are dictated by any single country. Sri Lanka’s foreign policy remains, and will remain, a balancing exercise. Yet the practical, problem-solving character of India’s engagements, particularly during humanitarian emergencies, generates leverage without overt pressure. It becomes easier for Sri Lankan policymakers to deepen maritime coordination when their partner has repeatedly demonstrated reliability at moments of vulnerability.

Within India, this approach is increasingly institutionalized. New Delhi’s SAGAR doctrine, Security and Growth for All in the Region, frames humanitarian assistance as a core instrument of regional engagement. In practice, however, it operates less as a grand strategy and more as a set of habits: dispatch ships early, prioritize practical needs, minimize procedural friction, and allow cooperation to build through repetition.

This is why the Bailey bridges matter. They are not dramatic foreign policy statements. They are practical solutions to immediate reconstruction challenges. Yet their arrival aboard an Indian naval vessel reinforces the idea that humanitarian cooperation is not episodic but embedded in the operational routines of both countries.

The relationship will face pressures in the years ahead, including economic uncertainty, domestic political shifts on both sides, and intensifying regional competition. Still, the legacy of consistent and dependable crisis response creates a buffer. In diplomacy, reliability often carries greater weight than rhetoric. In the maritime space between India and Sri Lanka, reliability has become the defining feature of the partnership.

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About the Author

Ashu Mann is an Associate Fellow at the Centre for Land Warfare Studies. He was awarded the Vice Chief of the Army Staff Commendation card on Army Day 2025. He is pursuing a PhD from Amity University, Noida, in Defence and Strategic Studies. His research focuses include the India-China territorial dispute, great power rivalry, and Chinese foreign policy.