Speaking on ‘Evaluation of the Role of Armed Forces and Ensuring National Security, Abreast with Contemporary Security Challenges’, Sri Lanka army commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva has said that non-governmental organisations pose security challenges to Sri Lanka.
He was speaking at the Defence Services Command and Staff College on 08 December 2020.
“The security challenges of Sri Lanka involve not only conventional foes but also narcotic cartels, multinational corporations, non-governmental organisations and so on. Similarly, natural disasters and events causing severe environmental damage are also threats to our National Security paradigm. At present, National Security remains the most complex strategic challenge faced by the nations. I believe, the future challenges to the National Security will be notably irregular in style when compared with most of the hostile encounters we had in our modern history. Therefore, preparing for such an eventuality requires the investment of very significant human, material and technological resources.”
Referring to the Sri Lanka Army, he said: “The Sri Lanka Army should be prepared to do more than fighting and defeating enemies; we must possess the capability to translate military objectives into enduring national outcomes. The Army must also have the capability and capacity to accomplish assigned missions while confronting increasingly dangerous threats in a complex operational environment. As future operations seem to be inherently cross-domain operations, we need to be consistent with the tenets of adaptability, anticipating dangers and opportunities, and adjusting operations to seize, retain and exploit the initiative. It is an absolute necessity that the security architecture of the country needs to revisit with appropriate institutional changes and I am happy to note that, the Sri Lanka Army has completed formulating an overarching strategy named as ‘Way Forward Strategy 2020 – 2025’ in order to clear such vacuums within our system.”
The full speech of theLieutenant General Shavendra Silva can be read here