Sri Lanka Army
The Sri Lankan Army (also known as Sri Lanka Government Forces) is a branch of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces with the responsbility of overseeing land-based operations. It is considered to be one of the most effective militaries in terms of counterterrorism efforts.
History
Ancient and Pre-Colonial times
The first military engagement in Sri Lanka's history is marked with the advent of Vijaya, a prince of North India who landed with his followers on the beaches of northwestern Sri Lanka around 543 B.C.Incursions by South Indians into Sri Lanka territory were repeated throughout the next few centuries particularly the Cholas, led to the engagement of rival forces in battle. King Dutugemunu (200 B.C.) is reported to have raised an army of eleven thousand inhabitants in his battle against King Elara, a Chola. King Dutugemunu's organisational skills, bravery and chivalry are famous and his battles have apparently gone down in history as an outstanding offensive operations.
Rulers such as King Gajabahu (113 A.D.) who sailed to India to bring back his captured soldiers stand out. King Dhatusena (433 A.D.) is credited with having repulsed Indian invasions and particularly for organising a naval build-up to deter seaborne attacks. He also had the foresight to cover these defences with artillery. Vijayabahu (1001 A.D.) was another warrior king who dislodged invaders. Parakrama Bahu the Great (1153 A.D.) as his title implies was outstanding in the Polonnaruwa period of Sri Lanka's history and his accomplishments as a military leader and a great administrator are noteworthy. His reign included a military expedition to Burma (Myanmar) in retaliation for certain indignities inflicted on his envoys and interference in the elephant trade. This marked the first overseas military expedition in its military history It is also reported that Parakrama Bahu's fame was such, that this assistance was sought by South Indian rulers who were involved in internecine struggles. Another strong ruler in the pre-colonial era was Parakrama Bahu VI, who ruled the entire Island from Sri Jayawardhanapura, Kotte.
Although the known epigraphical records do not indicate that the Sri Lankan rulers had a full-time Standing Army, at their disposal, there is evidence supported by legend, designation, name, place and tradition that prove, that there were 'stand by' equestrian, elephant and Infantry cadres to ensure the Royal Authority at all times. Militias were raised as necessity arose, and the soldiers returned to their pursuits mainly for farming after their spell of military duty.
Colonial Era
The Sri Lankan nation came under the control of 3 colonial European powers, the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Until the latter Sri Lanka maintained most of its independent defence forces. The British unlike its counterparts were not primarily restricted to maritime power which gave them the capability to bring the island under its control and integrate locals into the British defence forces
The Portuguese rule
It was in the beginning of the sixteenth century that modern Europe first came in contact with Ceylon. In 1505 a Portuguese fleet, while operating in the Indian seas against Arab traders, touched accidentally at Galle on the southern coast; in 1517 the Portuguese re-appeared and with the consent of the Sinhalese king established a factory at Colombo. The Portuguese having begun as traders soon made themselves political masters of the entire sea-board, forts were established, and European civilization was introduced.
The Portuguese are credited with the introduction of fortresses to Sri Lanka during this era, however Sri Lankan's developed their own forces to defend their nation, there is no evidence that the Portuguese employed locals inhabitants into their forces. The Portuguese were believed to restricted by their small numbers and their efforts being focused on maritime power.
The Dutch rule
The Dutch first landed in Ceylon in 1602, then under Portuguese control, and by 1658 had completely ousted the Portuguese from the island. The Dutch much like the Portuguese did not employ locals in their forces and preferred to live in isolation pursuing their interests in trade and commerce and defending their forts with their own forces, which included Swiss and Malay mercenaries. The Dutch Forts in Jaffna, Galle, Matara, Batticaloa and Trincomalee were sturdily built and are a tribute to their military engineering skills at the time. Much like their counterparts the Portuguese, the Dutch focused on maritime power and had the capability to develop and use local forces, but chose to isolate themselves.
The British Rule
The British later removed the Dutch and during the first half-century of occupation faced uprisings and sought to acquire the Kandyan Kingdom, to a degree that Kandyans were forced into guerrilla warfare, who faired well against their superior British adversaries. Initially the British stationed their own troops for defence of the island nation, which included naval vessels, artillery troops and infantry. They used the natural port of Trincomalee as their headquarters. In 1796, Swiss and Malay mercenaries in the Dutch service transferred to the British East India Company. The Swiss De Meuron's Regiment was disbanded in Canada in 1822. The Malays initially formed a Malay Corps, however this changed in 1802 to the 1st Ceylon Regiment under a British Commanding Officer. In the same year they also raised a Sinhalese unit, called the 2nd Ceylon Regiment, also known as the Sepoy Corps. In 1803 a 3rd Ceylon Regiment was raised with Mollucans and recruits from Penang. All these regiments fought in the Kandyan wars of 1803. One of their number, William O'Dean, defected to the King of Kandy and was deported to by the British to Australia in 1816. Throughout the following years more Sinhalese and Malays were recruited to these regiments and in 1814 a 4th regiment was raised comprising African troops. In 1817 the name of the regiment was changed to the Ceylon Rifle Regiment. After the Matale Rebellion led by Puran Appu in 1848, the recruitment of Sinhalese was stopped. The Ceylon Rifle Regiment marked the first phase of the employment of non-British personnel in Ceylon for service in the British Military.
Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers
The second phase in the employment of non-British personnel commenced in 1861 after the enactment of an ordinance designed to authorise the creation of Volunteer Corps in the Colony. It was designated the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers (CLIV). This move compensated for the disbandment of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment in 1874. The Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was originally administered as a single unit. However over the years various sections of the volunteers grew large enough to become independent from their parent unit. The different units that emerged from the Volunteer Force were namely the,
- Ceylon Artillery Volunteers
- Ceylon Mounted Infantry (CMI)
- Ceylon Volunteer Medical Corps
- Cadet Battalion Ceylon Light Infantry
- Ceylon Engineers
- Ceylon Supply & Transport Corps
- Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps (CPRC).
Ceylon Defence Force
In 1910 the name was formerly changed to the Ceylon Defence Force (CDF). It continued to grow as throughout the early period of 20th Century. The CDF saw active service when a contingent of CMI in 1900, and a contingent of CPRC in 1902, took part in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Their valuable services were recognised by presentation, in 1902 of a colour to the CMI, and a presentation in 1904, of a Banner to the CPRC. In 1922, the CDF was honoured by the presentation of the King's and Regimental colours to the Ceylon Light Infantry.
During the First World War, many volunteers from the Defence Force found their way to England and joined the British Army, and many of them died. One of them, mentioned by Arthur Conan Doyle was Pte Jacotine of the CLI, who was the last man left alive in his unit at the Battle of Lys, and who continued to fight for 20 minutes before he was killed.
In 1939, the CDF was mobilised and an enormous expansion took place which required raising of new units such as the Post and Telegraph Signals, the Ceylon Railway Engineer Corps, the Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Corps, the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the Ceylon Corps of Military Police, and the Ceylon Signals Corps and the Colombo Town Guard Unit, which had been disbanded earlier, was once again formed to meet military requirements. During the Second World War Britain assumed direct control over the Armed Forces of Ceylon.
Post Independence
When WWII ended, the task of returning the enormously swollen wartime CDF to its normal proportions got under way. By 1948 independence was declared and in 1949, the Army Act was passed by Parliament raising the Ceylon Army, composed of Regular and Volunteer Forces. The initial requirement was to raise an artillery regiment, an engineer squadron, an infantry battalion, a medical unit, and a service corps company. The Army Act was enacted in parliament on the 10th of October 1949 which is recognized as the day, the Ceylon Army was raised. The Army was to be comprised of a Regular and a Volunteer force and the initial requirement was to raise the following units in the Regular and Volunteer Forces.
There were no formations and all units were directly functioning under Army Headquarters. Temporary field headquarters were formed at the time of a requirement as it was done during the 1958 communal riots. The first field formation was raised in 1963, to prevent illicit immigration from South India. This headquarters was known as Task Force Anti Illicit Immigration (TAFII), which was disbanded in 1981. In May 1972, when Ceylon became the Republic of Sri Lanka, all Army units were renamed accordingly
Subsequently, various formations were raised from time to time to suit various security requirements in the country. The Army is now organised into divisions and brigades. Each division is responsible for a particular area and it is commanded by a General Officer Commanding in the rank of Major General. Except for the division based in Panagoda, all other divisions are responsible for the security in the Northern and Eastern provinces. The area assigned to a particular division is further divided into areas where the responsibility of those areas are assigned to brigades. Each brigade is commanded by an officer in the rank of Brigadier and has a number of Infantry battalions, support arms (Artillery, Engineers and Signals), and Services (Service Corps, Engineering Services, Ordnance Corps, Electrical and Mechanical Engineers), under its command. In peace areas instead of brigade there are Area and Sub-Area Headquarters. Armour, Artillery, Engineers and Signals Units are grouped under Brigade Headquarters of their own arm; Armoured Brigade, Artillery Brigade and so on.
1980–present
When the insurgency caused by the JVP drew to a close, the army was confronted with a new conflict, this time with the LTTE. The war escalated to the point where India was asked to intervene as a peacekeeping force. This was later seen as a tactical error, as the IPKF united nationalist elements such as the JVP to politically support the LTTE in their call to evict the IPKF. The war with the LTTE was only halted due a ceasefire agreement signed in 2002 and brokered by the Norwegians. However, renewed violence has threatened to return the country to war following escalating attacks since December 2005 and the breakdown of the Geneva peace talks.
Since 1980 the army has undertaken many operations against the LTTE rebels. The major operations conducted by the army eventually led to the capture of Jaffna and other rebel strongholds.
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Organisation
The staff in the Army is assigned to support the field troops. Army Headquarters is divided into many branches, namely the General Staff (GS) branch responsible for coordination of operations and training and Adjutant General's (AGs) branch responsible for personal administration, welfare, medical services and rehabilitation. The Quarter Master General's (QMGs) branch is responsible for feeding, transport, movement and construction and maintenance. Master General of Ordnance (MGOs) branch is responsible for procurement and maintenance of vehicles and special equipment.
Each branch is headed by an officer in the rank of Major General who is directly responsible to the Commander of the Army for the smooth functioning of the Branch. The Military Secretary's Branch headed by a senior Brigadier, is responsible for handling all matters pertaining to officers such as promotions, postings and discipline. Under each Branch, there are several Directorates, each headed by a Brigadier.
The Headqurters of field formations each has its own staff. For instance a divisional headquarters is divided into a GS branch as an AQ branch, each headed by a Colonel and is responsible for operations & training and administration & logistics respectively. Similarly, a Brigade Major and Major AQ is responsible for operations and administration in a brigade.
Regiments
- Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
- Sri Lanka Artillery
- Sri Lanka Engineers
- Sri Lanka Signals Corps
- Sri Lanka Light Infantry
- Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
- Gamunu Watch
- Gajaba Regiment
- Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
- Commando Regiment
- Special Forces Regiment
- Military Intelligence Corps
- Engineer Services Regiment
- Sri Lanka Army Service Corps
- Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps
- Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps
- Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police
- Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
- Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- Sri Lanka Riffle Corps
- Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps
- Sri Lanka National Guard
Training Centres
- Army Command and Staff College
- Sri Lanka Military Academy
- Army Training School
- Infantry Training Centre
- Combat Training School
- Army Physical Education Centre
- Volunteer Force Training School
- Marksman Sniper Training School
- Non Commission Officer Training School
- Language Training School
- Institute of Peacekeeping Support Operations Training Sri Lanka
Personnel
In September 2004, the Sri Lankan government deployed approximately 750 troops to Haiti in its first major overseas operation. It was part of the United Nations peacekeeping mission within the Caribbean nation. Prior to the deployment, all of the army's operations took place in Sri Lanka due to the internal situation.
The Sri Lankan Army presently stands at 150,000 strong, plus an additional 10,000 in reserve. It is one of the fastest growing armed forces in the world.
In light of recent attacks by the LTTE, the United States has expressed its intent to maintain military training assistance and possibly increase it should the violence continue.
Notable fallen heroes
Equipment
In recent years, Sri Lanka has become increasingly reliant on China for weapons, since most European nations and the United States have regulations about selling weaponry to nations who are suffering from internal conflict. China has no such regulations, and some see the sales as an attempt to gain political influence with strategically-important Sri Lanka. The weapons have ranged from rifles to naval ships. Sri Lanka still receives a variety of weapons from Britain, Pakistan, Israel and other former suppliers.
Infantry weapons
- Type 56 Assault rifles
- Type 81 Assault rifles
- H&K MP5 Submachine Guns
- Uzi Submachine Guns
- M16 Assault Rifles
- Type 69 RPG Rocket launchers (Chinese version of Russian RPG-7)
- PK machine guns (Chinese version of Russian PKM general purpose machine gun)
- Type 56 LMG (Chinese version of Russian RPD)
Multiple rocket launchers
- RM-70 Multiple barrel rocket launcher MBRL
Armoured vehicles
- T-55 and T-55AM2 Main battle tanks
- Type 69 Main battle tank
- Daimler Ferret armoured cars
- Alvis Saladin Armoured cars
- Alvis Saracen Armoured cars
- BMP-1 Infantry fighting vehicle
- BMP-2 Infantry fighting vehicle
- BMP-3 Infantry fighting vehicle
- BTR-80 Armoured personnel carrier
- WZ551 Armoured personnel carrier
- Buffel Mine-protected APC - Now also built by SL Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Regiment using Indian TATA chassis and engine with there own modifications as Unibuffel.[1]
- BTR-152 Soviet armored personnel carrier
Awards and decorations of Sri Lankan Army
External links
- President of Sri Lanka
- Ministry of Defence Sri Lanka
- Government of Sri Lanka
- Sri Lanka Army
- Tribute to Sri Lankan Armed Forces
References
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