Sri Lanka Army Totally Explained

Everything about Sri Lanka Army totally explained

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) formed in 1981 and situated in Ratmalana, fourteen kilometers south of Colombo, is Sri Lanka's only university specializing in defense studies. Each year, approximately fifty cadets from all three services are admitted to the university (aged 18-22) to participate in a three-year program of academic work and basic training.
As the armed forces of Sri Lanka have a limited indigenous training facilities, especially in advanced roles, they've depended greatly on military training provided by foreign countries. The United Kingdom played a major role in the early years following independence and have continued to be an important source of military expertise to the Sri Lankan military. Other sources include Pakistan, Australia, Malaysia, and the United States. Additionally, in an agreement reached in 1984, Israeli security personnel (reportedly from Shin Bet, the Israeli counterespionage and internal security organization) trained army officers in counterinsurgency techniques.

Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA)

Army Training School (ATS)

Infantry Training Centre (ITC)

Combat Training School (CTS)

Army Physical Education Centre (APEC)

Volunteer Force Training School (VFTS)

Marksman Sniper Training School (MSTS)

Non Commission Officer Training School (NCOTS)

Language Training School (LTS)

Institute of Peacekeeping Support Operations Training Sri Lanka (IPSOT-SL) Regimental Training Centers

Armoured Cops Training Centre

School Of Artillery

Sri Lanka School of Military Engineering

School Of Mechanical Engineers

School Of Signals

Commando Regiment Training School

Engineer Service School

Sri lanka Army Service Corps. School

Sri lanka Army Military School Of Nursing

Sri lanka Army Ordnance School

Sri lanka Electrical And Mechnaical Engineers School

Sri lanka Corps of Military Police School

SriLanka Army General Service Corps. School

Women in the Sri Lanka Army

The Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps (SLAWC) was formed on September 01 1979 as an unarmed, noncombatant support unit. Set up with the assistance of the Women's Royal Army Corps, it was identical in structure to its parent organization, and its first generation of officer cadets was trained in Britain. Candidates were required to be between eighteen and twenty years old and to have passed the General Common Entrance (Ordinary level) examinations, while the Officer candidates must have passed the Advanced Level. Enlistment entailed a five-year service commitment (the same as for men), and recruits were not allowed to marry during this period. In the sixteen-week training course at the Army Training Center at the Diyatalawa Sri Lanka Military Academy, cadets were put through a program of drill and physical training similar to the men's program, with the exception of weapons and battle craft training. Female recruits were paid according to the same scale as the men, but were limited to service in nursing, communications, and clerical work. In late 1987, the first class of women graduates from the Viyanini Army Training Center were certified to serve as army instructors. But, from late 1987 - after hostilities began, the first batch of women graduates from the British Army's Women's Corp Center certified to serve as Army Instructors.
   Up to now, women officers have proved their ability and serve in varied specialized fields in the Service as control tower operators, electronic warfare technicians, radio material teletypists, automotive mechanics, aviation supply personnel, cryptographers, doctors, combat medic, lawyers, engineers and even aerial photographers.
   To meet the operational requirements in the field areas, the 2nd Volunteer Battalion of the Women’s Corps was also raised. A few officers from the regular counter part were attached to this unit to organize the command structure. They are currently employed in active combat duties in the northern and eastern parts of the island.
   Many officers commencing with Lieutenant Colonel A.W. Thambiraja were appointed to command this unit from time to time. The first women’s corps officer to command the unit was Lieutenant Colonel Kumudini Weerasekara in 1992 and as of 2007 there where three lady officers of the rank of Major General. At present there's one regular regiment and four volunteer regiments in the Women’s Corps.

Personnel

The Sri Lanka Army presently stands at 120,000 strong

Parama Weera Vibhushanaya recipients

Colonel A.F. Lafir

Captain Saliya Upul Aladeniya

Second Lieutenant K.W.T. Nissanka

Warrant Officer 2nd Class Pasan Gunasekera

Corporal Gamini Kularatne

Lance Corporal W.I.M. Seneviratne

Notable fallen members

Lt. General Denzil Kobbekaduwa - One of the greatest generals in modern Sri Lanka.

Lt. General Parami Kulatunga - Former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army.

Maj. General Vijaya Wimalaratne - Commander Security Forces Headquarters Jaffna (SF HQ (J)) & One of the greatest generals in modern Sri Lanka.

Colonel Tuan Nizam Muthaliff - Former commanding officer 1st Battalion Military Intelligence Corps.

Complaints over survivors’ benefits

The Organisation for Disabled Soldiers has complained that compensation paid for war victims is inadequate. In August 2007, a spokesman for the organisation pointed out that the compensation paid to the families of soldiers killed during the war has remained flat for 23 years at Rs. 150,000, which has dwindled in value to the equivalent of US$1500. This amount is the same for all ranks, including generals. In contrast, however, the families of politicians are much more highly compensated; the family of the late Minister Mr. M. H. M. Ashroff was awarded Rs. 5 million (US$50,000) following his death in a helicopter crash. Furthermore, the families of soldiers killed before completing 12 years of service are unable to claim any pension. There have also been several hundred cases in which the military wasn't recovering soldiers' bodies killed during the Eelam War III.

Equipment

After the 1971 uprising, the army expanded its range of weapons from the original stock of World War II-era British Lee Enfield rifles, Sten Submachine guns, Vickers machine guns, Bren machine guns, 6-inch coastal guns, Bren Gun Carrier, 40 mm anti-aircraft guns, 3.7 inch heavy anti-aircraft guns and 4.2-inch heavy mortars. New sources of weaponry in the mid-to-late 1970s included the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, and China - countries with which the leftist Bandaranaike government had close ties to. China continued to be an important source of arms well into the 1990s. Though the weapons were obsolete at the time of purchase, the Government security forces found them to be successful in combat. Land mines proved to be the most lethal threat to the security forces, as many mines have been deployed against government forces by the LTTE in the Northern and Eastern Provinces. These mines are deployed with normalcy against government trucks and buses, with a high rate of casualty. These land mines weighed approximately 50 - 100kgs, against which no armoured vehicle that the SLA possessed was able to withstand the blast effect. Therefore the South African made Buffel was introduced to service in 1985 to reduce damage due to land mines. By 1987 the Army's own Unicorn was also developed to a level so that they too matched the capabilities of the Buffels from South Africa, this was followed up by the newer Unibuffel class. Both the Unicorn and the Unibuffel are assembled by the Sri Lanka Electrical & Mechanical Engineers. This is due to most European nations and the United States Governments passing regulations about the selling of weaponry to nations which are suffering from internal conflict. However 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.
China has no such regulations upon their arms producers, and some see the sales as an attempt to gain political influence with strategically-important Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka also continues to receive a variety of weapons from Britain, Pakistan, Israel and other former suppliers.

AK-47 Assault rifles

Type 81 Assault rifles

Heckler & Koch G3 Assault rifles

M16 Assault rifles

M4 Carbine

FN FAL Assault rifles

Heckler & Koch PSG1 Sniper Rifles Machine guns

PK machine guns (Chinese version of Russian PKM)

Type 56 LMG (Chinese version of Russian RPD)

FN Minimi General purpose machine gun

Type 69 Main battle tanks

Type 59 Main battle tanks

Infantry fighting vehicles

BMP-3 Infantry fighting vehicle

BMP-2 Infantry fighting vehicle

BMP-1 Infantry fighting vehicle

Armoured personnel carriers

TYPE 89 (YW534) Armoured personnel carriers (Tracked)

TYPE 85 (YW531H) Amphibious armored personnel carriers (Tracked)

TYPE 63 (YW531) Armoured personnel carriers (Tracked)

BTR-80 Armoured personnel carrier (wheeled)

TYPE 92 WZ551 Armoured personnel carrier (wheeled)

BTR-152 Armored personnel carrier (wheeled)

HUSSAR Armoured personnel carrier (wheeled)

Buffel Mine-protected APC

Unibuffel Mine-protected APC, Improved version of the Unicorn, built by the Sri Lanka Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Regiment using Indian TATA engine.

Unicorn Mine-protected APC, built by the Sri Lanka Army Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Regiment.

Shorland S55 Armoured personnel carriers

Hotspur - Armoured version of the Land Rover Defender

MT-55A - Armoured vehicle-launched bridge Multiple rocket launchers

RM-70 Multiple rocket launcher

BM-21 Multiple rocket launcher Artillery

152 mm Type 66 gun-howitzers

130 mm Type 59 field guns

122 mm Type 60 howitzers

Ordnance QF 25 pounder field guns - (Ceremonial Gun Troop)

Ordnance QF 75 mm mountain guns - (Ceremonial) Light and Towed mortars

Type 86 (W86) 120 mm mortars

Type 84 (W84) 82 mm mortars

Type 89 60 mm mortars

Further Information

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