-By Ex Senior Officer from the Armed Forces of Sri Lanka
(Lanka-e-News -26.March.2025, 11.15 PM) Sri Lanka has been grappling with identifying a National Security Policy since Independence. This is not to say that aspects of National Security which impact on the very survival of the country have been totally neglected. There had been issues in the past bearing seriously on the National Security, which have been dealt or resolved appropriately to the satisfaction of the majority of the populace living across Sri Lanka. Yet, all done despite lacking a properly formulated National Security Policy. Even today, it appears that no serious efforts are being made to formulate a proper National Security Policy encompassing all aspects which are essential in such a process. Other than occasional outbursts on National Security by few civil and military personnel (mostly retired military personnel) no firm commitment has been seen in seriously addressing National Security concerns.
What is National Security in the modern day and age? In the broadest sense, it is the ability of a Nation to remain sovereign whilst protecting its population and all the assets. Sovereignty in the contemporary day involves safeguarding nation’s independence and territorial integrity (includes territorial seas, airspace and cyberspace) and assets include but not limited to economical, healthcare, agricultural educational and myriad of other assets which are essential for a nation state to exist. Even the cultural uniqueness too is an asset in a nation state’s identity which if threatened may result in serious consequences. It is important to emphasize at this juncture that this article only endeavors to discuss about the armed forces role in ensuring National Security and will not discuss about other agencies/institutions.
World over, nations formulate National Security Policy based on existential threats. Hence, before going any further, it is important to identify the types of threats Sri Lanka may face in the future or types of conflicts the country may get embroiled in the future. Threats never originate or emanate in isolation. A country’s geographical location is one such factor that either positively or negatively impacts on the likely threats. This is geopolitics and it is a word which is being generously used by many who delve into National Security issues since it may have a bearing on the likely threats. As such few words about geopolitics that affect Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is located to my mind geographically in an important region. Sri Lanka being an island nation lies close to two important powerhouses both economically and militarily in the world. India and China are these power houses, though some may argue that we are in the backyard of India and China is located at a distance. In the modern day and age, countries are rapidly developing systems both weapons and other to negate this phenomenon of distance. Not only weapons and other systems but also proxies who will do the bidding for such big powers. As such the writer wishes to identify both India and China as powerful nations which are in the same region as of Sri Lanka and are able to influence happenings within Sri Lanka. USA and Europe too may influence but history is replete with instances in the recent past, where US and Europe in dealing with Sri Lanka have always gone along with India. Thus, geopolitically Sri Lanka’s location is important in looking at likely threats without overemphasizing it.
Now to identify threats and conflicts which may challenge Sri Lanka today and in the future. Broadly the modern-day conflicts can be split into two distinct groups; conventional warfare - which would be traditional military engagements between armed forces of sovereign nations, often involving large scale battles using all the warfighting potential nations possess. Both world wars, wars fought between Israel and Arab Nations, India Pakistan wars, India China war in the 1960s, Iran Iraq war, the invasion of Iraq by the allied forces and todays Russia Ukraine war can be included in this category.
The other category is unconventional warfare. This includes but not limited to terrorism, insurgencies, hybrid warfare (which may be defined as combining conventional warfare with irregular tactics, cyber warfare etc) and civil unrests within a nation. Some may question the logic of including civil unrests under this category. Further explanation can justify it. Civil unrest means on most occasions population going against the authorities of a nation or defying the law-and-order mechanism. It can occur due to different reasons or circumstances; economic downturns, underworld activity, shortages of essentials for a population to lead a normal life, loss of confidence in the governance etc etc. Even the effects of natural calamities and consequential restlessness within the population due to various shortages too can lead to civil unrests. A word of caution, one must not get too carried away due to the use of the word warfare here in the literal sense, as it might sound a bit of an exaggeration, especially when we discuss law and order situations. But suffice to say that a serious breakdown in the law and order in a nation might eventually lead to chaos which may warrant serious interventions by the state authorities even outside nations; and one could say it’s a war of a different nature. Sri Lanka has seen such situations in the past. Thus, the word warfare is used here in the second category to impress on the reader the dangers of any activity that seriously impacts on the cohesiveness of a society in any nation.
Having dealt with the threats one could surmise that Sri Lanka is more prone to unconventional warfare. Especially when looking at the post-independence history where we had to endure tremendous loss of life and destruction in 1971, 1988/1989 and 1980 to 2009. In the rare likelihood of a big power invading Sri Lanka as part of a massive conventional war, well we will have to, in all probabilities plead with the rest of the world to stand with us not to fight but to negotiate.
National Security Policy formulators will have to seriously address above threats since such a policy once in place should act as a serious deterrent. Repeat, a powerful deterrent. Armed forces of a nation need to be modeled to ensure that such deterrent is seen and felt by any aggressor, of course based on the National Security Policy. Armed forces are the first respondents whenever a threat described above unfolds, especially in Sri Lanka. It is not likely to change in the near future looking at the activities they are indulging in at present, Therefore, armed Forces should be adequately staffed, equipped and trained to fulfill National Security obligations. That should be included in the Defense Policy which is subordinate to National Security Policy and should be formulated early after the formulation of National Security Policy. The business of rattling out numbers the armed forces will be staffed with for political expedience need to cease. In the same breath those who are keen to modernize the armed forces in keeping with the National Security Policy and the Defense Policy must stop playing to the gallery. An economically challenged nation like Sri Lanka cannot write a blank cheque to modernize the armed forces. It will have to be a phased-out project and those in the armed forces need to essentially participate in this process. It is nonnegotiable and a must. Force structure, the command channels, infusion of technology etc must be decided after proper consideration, evaluation and looking at the practicality of execution. One of the key gaps of the present authorities is not having ex armed forces personnel especially officers who had reached the highest levels. However well the others narrate on political stages about the modernization plans, they lack the exposure at highest levels and its very clear that they are unable to comprehend the magnitude of the task at hand. A key phrase here is that ‘war is far too important to be left only in the hands of Generals’. As such it is time for the present dispensation to assemble a proper team comprising of those who are knowledgeable both civil and military to mab out a strategy to formulate a National Security Policy and a plan to modernize the armed forces. Armed Forces must be modernized to counter the threats not otherwise. The time is running out and we see almost daily wild west type of shootouts in broad daylight. These must be stopped. No one must test the patience and tolerance of a population or take them for granted.
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by (2025-03-26 17:49:18)
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