OBI Provides Training to Sri Lankan Military
June 2007
Upon approval by the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry and Commander of the Air Force, OBI provided training from 3-5 June 2007 at the Air Force’s Basic Training Center in Diyatalwa, nestled in mountains of south-central Sri Lanka, about 200 kilometers from Colombo.
Bill Barko (Colonel, US Army, retired) and Dr. Richard Stiliha, both of OBI, trained all Drill Instructors and NCO cadre involved in airman and airwomen basic-training. The OBI-program focused on counseling skills, crisis intervention and dealing with combat stress.
Local officials remarked that this event marked the first time in memory that foreign nationals had offered training to their military.
