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The Ministry of Defence (Sinhala: රාජ්ය ආරක්ෂක අමාත්යාංශය Rājya ārakshaka amāthyanshaya; Tamil: பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சகம்) is the cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for implementation of government defence policy and acts as the overall headquarters of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
 | |
| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 1948 |
| Preceding agency | |
| Jurisdiction | Government of Sri Lanka |
| Headquarters | Defence Headquarters Complex 6°55′47″N 79°50′42″E / 6.929710°N 79.844905°E |
| Annual budget |  US$ 1.45 billion (2023)
[1](12% of GDP) |
| Minister responsible | |
| Agency executive |
|
| Child agencies | |
| Website | defence.lk |
The Ministry of Defence states that its principal objectives are the formulation, co-ordination and the execution of policies in relation to the national security. With the end of the Cold War, the MOD does not foresee any short-term conventional military threat, the main threat to Sri Lanka having been the now-defunct organization, the LTTE and Islamic Terrorism. The Ministry of Defence also manages day-to-day running of the armed forces, contingency planning and defence procurement.
The National Security Council 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. The Minister of Defence and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff are permanent members of the National Security Council.
History
editWith Ceylon gaining independence in 1948, the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence was formed to administer the country's armed forces and formulate defence and foreign policy. The Prime Minister was also the Minister of Defence and External Affairs, and was supported by a Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and External Affairs who was a member of Parliament.
In 1977, J.R Jayawardena's government adapted two separate ministries, forming the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were formed. Since then many presidents retained the portfolio of Minister of Defence under him/her self, except for a few brief periods. In 1999 the National Security Council was established removing the direct control the military from the deputy Minister of Defence.
In 2011, the ministry was renamed Ministry of Defence and Urban Development.[2]
Funding
edit
| Year | Appropriated endowment (billions of Rs) | Supplementary funding (billions of Rs) | Cumulative expenditure (billions of Rs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | – | – | |
| 1988 | 5 | – | 5 |
| 1989 | 4 | – | 9 |
| 1990 | 7 | – | 16 |
| 1991 | 11 | – | 27 |
| 1992 | 14 | – | 41 |
| 1993 | 17 | – | 58 |
| 1994 | 21 | – | 79 |
| 1995 | 39 | – | 118 |
| 1996 | 42 | – | 160 |
| 1997 | 41 | – | 201 |
| 1998 | 47 | – | 248 |
| 1999 | 44 | – | 292 |
| 2000 | 63 | – | 355 |
| 2001 | 60 | – | 415 |
| 2002 | 54 | – | 469 |
| 2003 | 52 | – | 521 |
| 2004 | 62 | – | 583 |
| 2005 | 64 | – | 647 |
| 2006 | 82 | – | 729 |
| 2007 | 140[3] | – | 869 |
| 2008 | 166[4] | – | 1035 |
| 2009 | 175 | 39 | 1,249 |
| 2010 | 273 | None | 1,552 |
| 2011 | 214 | 20 | 1,756 |
| 2012 | 230 | None | 1,986 |
| 2013 | 290 | None | 2,276 |
| 2014 | 253 | None | 2,529 |
| 2015 | 285 | None | 2,814 |
| 2016 | 307[5] | None | 3,121 |
| 2017 | 243[6] | None | 3,364 |
Senior officials
editDepartments that come under the Ministry of Defence
edit- Sri Lanka Navy
- Sri Lanka Air Force
- State Intelligence Service
- Sri Lanka Coast Guard
- General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
- Defence Services Command and Staff College
- National Cadet Corps
- Department of Immigration & Emigration
- Department of Registration of Persons
- Department of Civil Defence (formerly the Home Guard Service)
- The National Dangerous Drugs Control Board
- Ranaviru Seva Authority (Veteran's Welfare Authority)
- Centre for Research and Development
Ministers attached to the Ministry of Defence
editSince the establishment of the MoD in 1978 the portfolio of Minister of Defence was held by the President of Sri Lanka, except for a few brief periods . However a minister oversaw activities of the MoD and the armed forces. Incomplete
Minister of Defence
edit- Tilak Marapana - Minister of Defence
Minister of State for Defence
edit- Lalith Athulathmudali - Minister of National Security
- General Ranjan Wijeratne - Minister of State for Defence
- D.B Wijetunga - Minister of State for Defence
- Ruwan Wijewardene - State Minister of Defence
Deputy Minister of Defence
edit- Mrvyn Kularatne - Deputy Minister of Defence [7]
- T.B. Werapitiya (former DIG) - Deputy Minister of Defence and Minister of Internal Security
- Anura Bastian - Deputy Minister of Defence
- General Anuruddha Ratwatte - Deputy Minister of Defence
- Ratnasiri Wickremanayake - Deputy Minister of Defence
Secretaries
edit- Colonel C. A. Dharmapala (1 Sep 1977 — 15 Aug 1983)
- General Deshamanya D. S. Attygalle (15 Aug 1983 — 16 Feb 1990)
- General Cyril Ranatunga (16 Feb 1990 — 1 May 1993)
- Air Chief Marshal Walter Fernando (1 May 1993 — 6 Jun 1993)
- General Hamilton Wanasinghe (6 Jun 1993 — 10 Feb 1995)
- Chandananda de Silva (7 Dec 1995 — 5 Dec 2001)
- Austin Fernando (21 Dec 2001 — 3 Nov 2003)
- Cyril Herath (17 Apr 2004 — 30 Nov 2004)
- Major General Asoka Jayawardena (1 Dec 2004 — 25 Nov 2005)
- Lieutenant Colonel Gotabhaya Rajapaksa (25 Nov 2005 — 9 Jan 2015)
- B. M. U. D. Basnayake (11 Jan 2015 — 8 Sep 2015)
- Karunasena Hettiarachchi (9 Sep 2015 — 5 Jul 2017)
- Kapila Waidyaratne (4 Jul 2017 — 30 October 2018)[8]
- Hemasiri Fernando (30 October 2018 - 25 April 2019)[9]
- General Shantha Kottegoda (28 April 2019 — 18 November 2019)
- General Kamal Gunaratne (18 November 2019 – 23 September 2024)
- Air vice-marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (24 September 2024 - Present)
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "In Defense of Sri Lanka's Defense Budget". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
- ^ "Defence Ministry adds UD to its name". Daily FT. 17 October 2011. Archived from the original on 1 April 2012. Retrieved 1 December 2012.
- ^ "Sri Lanka defence budget to soar". 10 October 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2017 – via news.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ "Sri Lanka earmarks record amount for defence spending - Livemint". www.livemint.com. 9 October 2008. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
- ^ "Defence allocation rises, education up four-fold, President's budget slashed". Retrieved 11 October 2015.
- ^ "Sri Lanka allocates Rs1.8tn for 2017 in Appropriation Bill". 20 October 2016.
- ^ Sri Lanka: The Untold Story. Asia Times, Retrieved on 23 February 2002.
- ^ "Kapila Waidyaratne new Defence Secretary". Daily Mirror. 4 July 2017. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- ^ "Sri Lanka top defense official resigns over Easter bombings security failure". The Defense Post. 25 April 2019. Retrieved 25 April 2019.