Army to be modernized

Ranil WIJAYAPALA

The Sri Lanka Army will be strengthened and modernized to meet any internal or external threat to the country despite the Sri Lankan military’s victory against the LTTE, Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka told the media yesterday.

Addressing the media at the Army Headquarters soon after the ‘Victory Parade’ to mark the Sri Lanka Army’s victory against the LTTE at the Army Headquarters ground, the Army Commander said attention would be more focused on external threat to the country when planning, restructuring and modernization of the Sri Lanka Army. Considering the events that unfolded within the last few years indicates that the country’s national security is facing external threats also,”the Commander said.

Therefore, the Army Commander said that special attention should be drawn to formulate policies of the country to face external threats also. He said the Government has given approval to strengthen the Sri Lanka Army with manpower, fire power and equip it with modern weaponry in the years to come.

He said Sri Lanka in the past had to face LTTE terrorism as Sri Lanka was having an Army with a strength of 10,000 soldiers. But it has grown into a massive Army today with a strength of 200,000 soldiers. The Sri Lanka Army’s strength increased from 116,000 to 200,000 within the last three years with the unprecedented number of youth joining.

“Therefore, we can curb any emerging threat internally or externally,” the Army Commander said.