{"id":98028,"date":"2020-01-20T16:23:22","date_gmt":"2020-01-20T23:23:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=98028"},"modified":"2020-01-20T16:23:22","modified_gmt":"2020-01-20T23:23:22","slug":"erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-13-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/01\/20\/erasing-the-eelam-victory-part-13-a\/","title":{"rendered":"ERASING THE EELAM VICTORY Part 13 A"},"content":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

PART\n13  of this series is on the Sri Lanka\narmed forces. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Sri Lanka army was established under the Army Act No. 17 of 1949.\nBrigadier<\/a> James Sinclair<\/a>, Earl of Caithness<\/a> was first Commander of the Army.  The army started with an artillery regiment, an engineer\nsquadron, an infantry battalion, a medical unit, and a service corps company.  Members of the earlier Ceylon\nDefence Force, (1910- 1949) formed the nucleus of the army. The Ceylon Defence\nForce was an experienced force. It had  \nfought in the two World Wars alongside British. The fledgling Sri Lanka\narmy therefore consisted of experienced persons, from the beginning. It was not\nan army composed of raw recruits, new to warfare. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ceylon had\nentered into a Defence Agreement with Britain in 1947. This Defence agreement\nhad provisions for training the new army. \nTraining in Ceylon was provided by  British Army Training Team (BATT). However, senior\nofficers went to the British Army Staff College, Camberley<\/a>\nand to the British Army of the Rhine<\/a>\nto gain field experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From 1949 officers were sent for training to Sandhurst. They were\nselected through competitive examination and interview. After the exam, we had\na preliminary interview with senior officers of the Army, chaired by the Chief\nof Staff. The final interview was at the Ministry of Defence, said former Commander\nGerry de Silva. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1950s and 1960s Sri Lanka was very proud of the fact that\nit officers were \u2018Sandhurst trained.\u2019 The Sandhurst training was for leading\nand commanding  troops. Sandhurst trained\n80  Ceylonese officers between 1949 and\n1968.  \u2018I think Sandhurst training\nhelped greatly in the formative years of the Sri Lanka Army. We didn\u2019t have an\nofficer core as such till the Sandhurst cadets returned,\u2019 said Gerry de Silva. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

We maintained British traditions right along said Gerry   de Silva in an interview. Those trained at\nSandhurst introduced to the Sri Lankan Army the British traditions they had\nlearnt in Sandhurst, and followed them. The ranks, training methods such as the\ndrill system and the weapons training were all on the Sandhurst or the British\nmodel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army\ncommanders who received this training included Commanders\nDenis Perera, and Gerry de Silva. Perera also attended the Royal School of Military Engineering<\/a>  and British Army<\/a>‘s\nStaff College, Camberley<\/a>.   Lt Gen Denzil Kobbekaduwa was trained\nentirely in Britain.  In addition to\nSandhurst, he trained at the Royal College of Defence Studies for Senior\nOfficers Thereafter, officers were sent for training to National Defence College,\nIndia. Commanders Tissa Weeratunga, Hamilton Wanasinghe and Sri Lal\nWeerasooriya trained in India.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1980s Sri Lanka developed its own training  institutes. There was the  Kotelawala Defence University ( 1981), Defence\nServices Command and Staff College<\/a>  at Batalanda, Makola\n(1997) for Junior field officers<\/a> and Sri Lanka\nMilitary Academy<\/a>\n,Diyatalawa   for basic officer training. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is also Army Training School<\/a> in Maduru Oya, Infantry\nTraining Centre<\/a> in\nMinneriya,  Combat Training School in Ampara and  Non-commissioned Officers Training\nSchool at Kala Oya. Specialized training was given at Marksman Sniper\nTraining School ,Armoured Corps Training Centre, School of Artillery, Sri Lanka\nSchool of Military Engineering, School of Mechanical Engineers, School of\nSignals, Commando Regiment Training School, Special Forces Training School,\nEngineer Service School, Sri Lanka Army Service Corps school, Sri Lanka Army\nOrdnance School, Sri Lanka Electrical And Mechanical Engineers School<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 1980s saw a massive expiation of the army from 15,000 personal\nto over 30,000 and more. New regiments were raised, while others were expanded\nwith new battalions. New weapons and equipment were introduced as the war\nshifted from counter-insurgency<\/a> to conventional warfare<\/a> tactics, with multi battalion<\/a>, brigade<\/a> and division<\/a> scale operations. New regiments were formed which included the Commando Regiment<\/a>, Special Forces Regiment<\/a>, Mechanized Infantry Regiment<\/a>, Gajaba\nRegiment<\/a>, Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment<\/a>, Military Intelligence Corps<\/a>, Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps<\/a>,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In late 1987, the army had a total estimated strength of up to\n40,000 troops, about evenly divided between regular army personnel and\nreservists on active duty. The approximately 20,000 regular army troops\nrepresented a significant increase over the 1983 strength of only 12,000.\nAggressive recruitment campaigns following the 1983 riots raised this number to\n16,000 by early 1985. By 1990 the army had expanded to over 90,000 personnel\nand by 2007, it had expanded to over 120,000.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2010, the Army had approximately 200,000 regular personnel,\nbetween 20,000\u201340,000 reserve personnel and 18,000 National Guardsmen<\/a>[<\/sup><\/a> and comprises 13 operational divisions<\/a>, one air-mobile brigade<\/a>, one commando<\/a> brigade, one special\nforces<\/a> brigade, one\nindependent armored brigade, three mechanized infantry<\/a> brigades and over 40 infantry<\/a> brigades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1980s, the army expanded its range of weapons from the\noriginal stock of World\nWar II<\/a>-era British<\/a> Lee\u2013Enfield rifles<\/a>, Sten Submachine guns<\/a>, Vickers machine guns<\/a>, Bren\nmachine guns<\/a>, 6-inch coastal guns<\/a>, Daimler Armoured Cars<\/a>, Bren Gun\nCarriers<\/a>,[66]<\/sup><\/a> 40 mm\nanti-aircraft guns<\/a>, 3.7-inch heavy anti-aircraft guns<\/a> and 4.2-inch heavy mortars<\/a> as well as post war Alvis\nSaladins<\/a>, Alvis Saracen<\/a>, Ferrets<\/a> and Shorland\nS55s<\/a>. New sources\nof weaponry in the mid-to-late 1970s included the Soviet\nUnion<\/a>, Yugoslavia<\/a>, and China<\/a> \u2013 countries with which the leftist Bandaranaike<\/a> government had close ties. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To meet the threat posed by predominantly the LTTE, Army\npurchasemodern military hardware including 50-caliber heavy\nmachine guns<\/a>, rocket-propelled grenade<\/a> (RPG) launchers, Night Vision Devices<\/a>, 106 mm recoilless rifles<\/a>, 60 mm and 81 mm mortars<\/a>, 40 mm grenade\nlaunchers<\/a> and some sniper rifles<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

 <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Refurbished armored personnel carriers<\/a>\nwere added to the ‘A’ vehicle fleet of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps<\/a>.\nThese APCs enabled the Armoured Corps to have their own assault troops to\nprovide close contact protection to their Alvis Saladin<\/a> and\nFerret\nScout Cars<\/a> which were vulnerable to anti-tank<\/a>\nweapons. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The capability of the Sri Lanka\nArtillery<\/a> was enhanced with the\nintroduction of Ordnance QF\n25 pounders<\/a>.[<\/sup><\/a>\nChinese-made 122 mm, 130 mm and 152 mm howitzers were introduced\nto the Sri Lankan Army in 1995 and 1998 whilst 122 mm Multi Barrel Rocket Launchers\n(MBRL), were first used in 2000 by the Sri Lanka Army. Though the weapons were\nobsolete at the time of purchase, security forces found them to be successful\nin combat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

LTTE has set land mines weighed\napproximately 50 \u2013 100 kg, against which no armoured vehicle that the SLA\npossessed was able to withstand the blast effect. Armscor<\/a> Buffels<\/a> \u2013 South\nAfrican<\/a> armoured personnel carriers\nconstructed on a Unimog<\/a>\nchassis \u2013 were imported in quantity to withstand land mines. By 1987 Sri\nLanka’s indigenous Unicorn APC<\/a> had\nbeen engineered from the Buffel, followed by the improved Unibuffel<\/a>\nclass. Both the Unicorn and the Unibuffel are assembled by the Sri Lanka Electrical & Mechanical Engineers<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The  Sri Lankan Navy was established on 9 December\n1950 when the Navy Act was passed for the formation of the Royal Ceylon Navy. Its nucleus was Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force  established, \nin 1937.This Volunteer Force was absorbed into Britain\u2019s  Royal Navy<\/a> as the Ceylon Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve during World War II. The\nfirst warship  was HMCyS Vijaya<\/em><\/a>. Training was given at\nDiyatalawa  and Trincomalee. From  1967 \nsenior officers were trained at Royal Naval College Dartmouth. Recent\nnavy commanders were also trained there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka Air Force was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of Britain\u2019s\nRoyal\nAir Force<\/a> (RAF). Flight training was  given at RAF Station Negombo<\/a>, and  RAF airfield at Katunayake<\/a>,  In addition, a number of cadet\nofficers<\/a> received flight training at the Royal Air Force College<\/a> in Cranwell<\/a>,  UK . When Sri Lanka took over the British air\nand naval bases in 1956, SLAF took over the former RAF stations, Katunayake<\/a>\nand China Bay<\/a>.\nThese became SLAF operational stations while ancillary functions were carried\nout at Diyatalawa<\/a>\nand Ekala<\/a>.\nIn 1967,  a Flight Training School was\nestablished at China Bay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senior officers<\/a>\nof the ranks of Squadron Leader<\/a>\nand Wing Commander<\/a> are given\nadvanced training at the Defence Services Command and Staff College<\/a>\n(DSCSC) at Batalanda, Makola. This was established\nin 1997. Others are trained at SLAF Junior Command & Staff\nCollege<\/a> at  China Bay<\/a> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Basic officer training is carried out at the Air Force Academy<\/a> at Bay. The academy offers a two-year program of basic\nflight training and a variety of specialized courses.\nInitial Ground Combat Training   is given at Diyatalawa.\nDiyatalawa also conducts advanced training for SLAF\nregiment officer cadets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Following\ntraining at SLAF Diyatalawa, general duties (pilot) branch officer cadets are\nsent to the Air Force Academy for flight training, and airmen and airwomen are\nsent to Advanced and Specialized Trade Training School for specialized training\nin different trades. Air traffic controllers<\/a> receive\nschooling at special facilities in Colombo. Approximately\ntwenty-five officers a year receive advanced training abroad, most commonly in\nBritain, Indian Air Force<\/a>\nand, in recent years, at the United States Air Force Academy<\/a>.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 1950s the army was preoccupied with the task of building\nitself and training its personnel. It was not called on to defend the country.\nThe army first came  to public\nattention  with the failed military coup d’\u00e9tat<\/a> of 1962. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A group of Christian<\/a> officers in the military and police planned to topple the\ngovernment of Prime Minister<\/a> Sirimavo Bandaranaike<\/a> during the night of 27 January 1962, organized by Colonel<\/a> F. C. de\nSaram<\/a> (Deputy\nCommandant, Ceylon Volunteer Force<\/a>), Colonel Maurice\nDe Mel<\/a>,\n(Commandant, Ceylon Volunteer Force), Rear\nAdmiral<\/a> Royce de Mel<\/a> (former Captain of the Royal Ceylon Navy<\/a>), C.C.\nDissanayake<\/a> (DIG<\/a>, Range I), Sydney\nde Zoysa<\/a> (retired\nDIG) and Douglas\nLiyanage<\/a> (Deputy\nDirector of Land Development), it was to take place in the night of 27 January\n1962, but was called off as the government gained information in the afternoon\nand initiated arrests of the suspected coup leaders.[1]<\/sup><\/a> However, key leaders were arrested before the coup was carried\nout.  Thereafter, the government made\nsure that command structure of the army did not consist of Christians alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The army played a role in the 1971 insurrection and the need\nfor  national security was realized.  In 1984, Israeli<\/a> security personnel (reportedly from Shin Bet<\/a>, the Israeli counterespionage<\/a> and internal security organization) trained army officers in counterinsurgency<\/a> techniques.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first\ntime the Sri Lanka army was asked to fight for the security of the country, was\nin 1987, when the Eelam wars started  in\nthe north. At the same time, there was a second  insurgency by the\nCIA funded  JVP<\/a>,    in the south, forcing the army to deploy its forces in the south of the island and to fight on two\nfronts between 1987 and 1989.    Note<\/strong>: the main\nsource for the military  data in  this essay is Wikipedia. (Continued) <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KAMALIKA PIERIS PART 13  of this series is on the Sri Lanka armed forces. The Sri Lanka army was established under the Army Act No. 17 of 1949. Brigadier James Sinclair, Earl of Caithness was first Commander of the Army.  The army started with an artillery regiment, an engineer squadron, an infantry battalion, a medical […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[104],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98028","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-kamalika-pieris"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98028","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98028"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98028\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98028"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98028"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}