Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Thursday Dec 12, 2024
Monday, 16 January 2023 00:29 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
State Minister for Defence Premitha Bandara Thennakoon is on record stating that Sri Lanka will slash its army by a third to 135,000 by next year and to 100,000 by 2030. If this is in fact a policy decision by the Government and it is able to implement the ambitious target it would be a most welcomed development.
According to the data published by the World Bank, the size of Sri Lanka’s armed forces, including the army, navy and the air force numbered at 317,000 personnel which is higher even than during the conflict period ending in 2009. Sri Lanka which ranks at 58 according to the size of its population size, has the 17th largest military in the world.
Verite Research notes that the share of the defence sector in the country’s total expenditure was at 2.31% in 2021 while it dropped slightly to 2.03% of gross domestic product in 2022. The budget passed for 2023 continued with allocating a lion share of expenditure to the military with a whopping Rs. 410 billion to the Ministry of Defence. The Ministry of Public Security which oversees the Police department has been allocated Rs. 129 billion. The total expenditure allocated for the military and police for 2023 is therefore Rs. 539 billion.
Despite nearly over 14 years since the end of the war, Sri Lanka has hardly enacted the necessary policies to reform the security sector. The high defence budget, constituting over 2% of GDP comes when the country’s armed forces are not fighting any external or internal war. In the current context the military is far too big for its size and population, and it has a military that is ill-suited to meet the new strategic needs.
In a time of an economic crisis, it is vital to assess the role of the military in economic matters. In the last few years since the end of the conflict the military has taken over numerous roles that have in fact stifled growth of the private sector. From agriculture, construction, retail businesses to civil aviation, the military today has expanded its role. Other than the trickle-down effect of salaries, the military hardly contributes to the economy. On the contrary, by encroaching into economic activities that would otherwise create private sector jobs, it stifles competition and growth. By inserting itself into tourism, agriculture, transport and other areas that should be within the purview of the private sector the military has become a hindrance to growth.
The reform of the military should not be limited to reducing its numbers. Since the end of the conflict in 2009 there has hardly been any meaningful security sector reforms. The Sri Lankan military came out of the 26-year-old war victorious but deeply scarred. Its personnel have been accused of gross violations of human rights and humanitarian law and some of these personnel, including the current Chief of Defence Staff has been subjected to international sanctions.
It is therefore imperative that while the security forces reduce their numbers as a result of the prevailing economic crisis, this opportunity be used to reform the whole military in order for it to be better suited to handle peacetime defence requirements, adhering to the standards of human rights expected of a peacetime military and performing its rightful and vital functions within a democracy.
