Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces

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

Flag commissioned officers
	Armies, air forces (non-Commonwealth)	Navies, coast guards	Air forces (Commonwealth system)
	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 commissioned 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 commissioned 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
	Officer cadet	Officer cadet	Flight cadet
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
	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

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

The Prime minister
Minister of Defence
Minister of Foreign Affairs
Minister of Finance
Minister of Law and Order
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Defence
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Finance
Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Law and Order
Chief of the Defence Staff
Commander of the Army
Commander of the Navy
Commander of the Air Force
Inspector General of Police
SIS Director

^[4]

References

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

External links

president.gov.lk
defence.lk

v t e Sri Lankan national security organisations
National Security Council	Office of the President of Sri Lanka Minister of Defence Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff Ministry of Law and Order Inspector General of Police
Cabinet-level Ministry	Ministry of Defence Ministry of Law and Order
Military branches	Army Navy Air Force
Law enforcement	Sri Lanka Police Criminal Investigation Department Financial Crimes Investigation Division Special Task Force Sri Lanka Customs Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police
Paramilitary	Civil Security Force Sri Lanka Coast Guard
Intelligence	Directorate of Military Intelligence State Intelligence Service
Research and development	Centre for Defence Research and Development
Special forces units	Police Special Task Force Army Special Forces Regiment Commando Regiment Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol Air Force Air Force Regiment Special Force Special Airborne Force Navy Special Boat Squadron Marine Corps
Protective security	President's Security Division Prime Minister's Security Division Sri Lanka Police Mounted Division