Ratnasiri stresses need for versatile military officers

The country needs highly versatile, knowledgeable, and intelligent military leaders and the Kotelawala Defence Academy is geared to produced officers of that calibre, Deputy Defence Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake said yesterday.

Addressing the convocation ceremony of the Academy, Minister Wickremanayake said:"The Kotelawala Defence Academy, better known as KDA, is a unique institution of higher education in Sri Lanka. On the one hand, the academy is unique because it is the only university in Sri Lanka established for the purpose of conducting degree courses for officers of the Armed Forces.

On the other hand, it is also unique in being the only military academy that trains officers jointly and together, for all the three armed forces, Army, Navy, and Air Force. The rationale behind this is to lay an informal, yet strong foundation for the mutual understanding and co-operation necessary for joint-operations, which military research in the developed world has discovered to be a critical factor for achieving success in military operations, the world over.

The Academy is also different from a conventional university, because in addition to the subject knowledge in disciplines such as engineering, technical sciences, and Management etc., it also provides its students with the basic military training in a highly disciplined environment.

Today, the country needs highly versatile, knowledgeable, and intelligent military leaders. I am of the conviction that KDA is producing such officers, who are able to take up the complex challenges of the future.

We have been witnessing, over the last few years, how KDA has been steadily growing in strength since its inception in early 1980s. Having had a humble beginning with a small intake of just 26 cadets, and having been elevated to university status in 1988, it has grown from strength to strength producing nearly 1500 graduated officers for the three services so far. Since 1996, the Academy has been training cadets from several SAARC countries as well.

Today the KDA enjoys the prestigious membership of the Commonwealth Universities Association of UK. Under these circumstances, we would be failing in our duty if we do not thank those who were responsible for the establishment of an academy of this nature, first for having the foresight, and then for convincing the then government, and getting the project off the ground.

We must also express, on this occasions, the gratitude of our nation to the magnanimous benefactor of the academy, General Sir John Kotelawala for generously donating his Walawwa and the property at Kandawala to establish the academy. The Academy has rightly conferred on him the honourary degree of LLD, posthumously at its first convocation in 1991. It is indeed a grateful tribute to a great personality in our recent history. The Kotelawala Defence Academy has come a long way in its path of progress over a relatively short history of about 25 years.

It is indeed heartening, under these circumstances, to see that senior and middle level military officers also show a keen interest in pursuing higher-level degrees in military management at KDA. I believe that this is a field in which a lot of research and intellectual activities are essential to face the future challenges of the security of our nation.

I have no doubt that, with the academic and military training received at KDA, the officers graduating from the KDA are having a positive influence on the overall outlook of the Sri Lankan armed forces. It is indeed the responsibility of the military officers to educate themselves and also to disseminate such knowledge among those whom they command.

The military profession has, throughout the history, been deemed to be a noble one. This was mainly due to the crucial role played by military men and women in the defence of a nation from either internal or external threats.

I consider it may bounden duty and obligation to request you to live up to the expectations of the people of this country, to place the country before soul, and to act with commitment, diligence, honesty and integrity. At a time when the word patriotism has become a cliche, the country demands of true sons and daughters who really love their Motherland. Let me conclude by requesting you to proudly march forward, bearing in mind the motto of your alms mater. "For the Motherland for ever."