Sri Lanka Armed Forces

Military of Sri Lanka
Sri Lankan Army
Sri Lankan Navy
Sri Lankan Air Force

The Military of Sri Lanka comprises of Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy and Sri Lankan Air Force. They are under the control of the Ministry of Defence, which is currently controlled by President Mahinda Rajapaksa who also acts as Minster of Defence. [1]

The Sri Lankan Armed Forces are primarily focused on land warfare with the Army being the oldest and largest of all the services. However due to its geographical position in the world the Navy is considered the most vital defence force of the island nation. The Air Force is said to operate as primarily a support force for both land and naval services.

Military of Sri Lanka
Military branches	Army, Navy, Air Force, Police
Military manpower
Military age	18 years of age (2001)
Availability	males age 18-49: 4,933,217 (2005 est.)
Fit for military service	males age 15-49: 3,789,627 (2005 est.)
Reaching military age annually	males: 174,049 (2005 est.)
Active troops	152,300 (Ranked 32nd)
Military expenditures
Dollar figure	$514.8 million (2004)
Percent of GDP	2.6% (2004)

The military has taken part in many wars throughout its history including the Boer Wars and both World Wars (under the command of the British at the time). Since independence however its primary missions have been counter-insurgency, targeting armed groups within the country, most notably the LTTE and at one point the former nationalist insurgent group the JVP.

The posture of the military has been defensive due to the nature of the strategic threats to the Sri Lanka. In the short-term internal security is considered the main threat to the nation's future. In the long-term the threat is seen as primarily external from current and future superpowers in their rival quests for dominance of the Indian Ocean, at one point these were the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. However due to collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 the external threats now involve future superpowers India and China rather than the Soviet Union. The signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Peace Accord eased these concerns while demostrating India's regional leadership.[2]

The Sri Lankan military has apparently recieved training assistance from other nations such as Australia, Britain, Israel, United States, India, Pakistan even South Africa. There have even been claims that soldiers from some of those countries have taken part in operations, but this has not been confirmed or proven. [3]

During the months of December 2005 and January 2006 the Sri Lankan security forces came under heavy sporadic attacks, with over 70 dying. Its is widely believed that the LTTE was behind the attacks in an attempt to provoke the government of Sri Lanka to go back to war. The International Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission has confirmed LTTE connections to such attacks. They recently filed a report stating the LTTE had violated the ceasefire 3,471 occasions during the past four years.[4]

The securty forces on the other hand have only violated the caesefire 162 times in the same period. The complaints against them have not been as serious as those of carried out by LTTE. [5]

However the President Mahinda Rajapaksa has ordered all forces to maintain defensive positions in a bid to avoid war and preserve the current ceasefire, but has warned that this move should not be mistaken for weakness on the part of his government.

The United States ambassador to Sri Lanka has warned the that the cost of war would be high for the LTTE. They have said they would continue to assist the government preserve peace by maintaining there military training and assistance programs[6]. India has also given assurances that they will try and make sure resumption of war is also avoided.[7]

References and Links

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