Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces

President Anura Kumara Dissanayake (2024).

The Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා සන්නද්ධ හමුදාවේ සේනාධිනායක, romanized: śrī laṁkā sannaddha hamudāvē sēnādhināyaka) is the ultimate commanding authority of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, an executive role vested in the President of Sri Lanka.[1]

Comparative military ranks
Armies,
air forces
(non-Commonwealth)		 Navies,
coast guards		 Air forces
(Commonwealth system)
General officers, Flag officers, Air officers
Field marshal Admiral of the fleet Marshal of the air force
General or
colonel general or
army general		 Admiral Air chief marshal
Lieutenant general or
army corps general		 Vice admiral Air marshal
Major general or
divisional general		 Rear admiral or
Counter admiral		 Air vice-marshal
Brigadier or
brigadier general		 Commodore or
flotilla admiral		 Air commodore
Senior officers
Colonel (Ship-of-the-line)
Captain		 Group captain
Lieutenant colonel Frigate captain or
Commander		 Wing commander
Major or
commandant		 Corvette captain or Lieutenant
commander		 Squadron leader
Junior officers
Captain Lieutenant Flight lieutenant
First lieutenant or
lieutenant		 Lieutenant
junior grade or
sub-lieutenant		 Flying officer
Second lieutenant or
junior lieutenant		 Ensign or
midshipman		 Pilot officer
Non-commissioned officers
Warrant officer or
sergeant major		 Warrant officer or
chief petty officer		 Warrant officer
Sergeant Petty officer Sergeant
Enlisted ranks
Corporal or
bombardier		 Leading seaman Corporal
Lance corporal or
Lance bombardier or
Specialist		 Able seaman Leading aircraftman or
Air specialist
Private or
gunner or
trooper or
sapper		 Seaman Aircraftman or
airman or
aviator

Formation

As head of state, the president of Sri Lanka, is nominally the commander-in-chief of the armed forces. The National Security Council, chaired by the president is the authority charged with formulating and executing defence policy for the nation. The highest level of military headquarters is the Ministry of Defence, since 1978 except for a few rare occasions the president retained the portfolio defence, thus being the minister of defence. The ministry and the armed forces have been controlled by the during these periods by either a minister of state, deputy minister for defence, and of recently the permanent secretary to the Ministry of Defence. Prior to 1978 the prime minister held the portfolio of minister of defence and external affairs, and was supported by a parliamentary secretary for defence and external affairs.

Responsibility for the management of the forces is Ministry of Defence, while the planning and execution of combined operations is the responsibility of the Joint Operations Command (JOC). The JOC is headed by the chief of the defence staff who is the most senior officer in the Armed Forces and is an appointment that can be held by an air chief marshal, admiral, or general. The three services have their own respective professional chiefs: the commander of the Army, the commander of the Navy and the commander of the Air Force, who have much autonomy.

National security council

Main article: National Security Council (Sri Lanka)

The National Security Council (NSC) of Sri Lanka is the executive body of the Sri Lankan government that is charged with the maintenance of national security with authority to direct the Sri Lankan military and Police. This was established in 1999 during the HE D. B. Wijetunga's government.[2][3]

Participants

[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Media Centre for National Security". archive.is. 2007-09-28. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  2. ^ L. B. Mendis, Vemon (2020-07-26). "National Security Concepts of States; Sri Lanka" (PDF). United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research.
  3. ^ "INSSSL". www.insssl.lk. Archived from the original on 2020-07-26. Retrieved 2020-07-26.
  4. ^ Kumaresan, Arun (22 April 2019). "Easter Sunday Bombing: Questions To Minister Of Defence, Law & Order Of Sri Lanka". Colombo Telegraph. Retrieved 22 April 2019.