PM speaks of strengthening defense ties with other countries to develop Army

Sri Lanka needs to strengthen defense ties with other countries to modernize the country’s army to bring it to be in par with developing world, the country’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickramasinghe said on Sunday.

Addressing an Army military passing out parade in the hill town of Diyathalawa, the Prime Minister said Sri Lanka needs to have strong defense ties with neighboring countries like India and Pakistan, as well as with militarily advanced nations like China, the United States and Britain in order to improve the standards of the army to suit international standards.

The Prime Minister participated in the ceremonial Passing out Parade (PoP) of 161 Officer Cadets at Diyatalawa Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) on Sunday (20) as the Chief Guest.

At the event Prime Minister, together with Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva laid a floral wreath at the SLMA war memorial to honor the memory of fallen soldiers before commissioning the new army officers.

Speaking further, the Premier said that the Ministry of Defense hopes to launch a program on future warfare to ensure the army is geared to handle different types of security threats and face any situation in future. He said the situations around the world have changed and Sri Lanka military needs to adapt to the changes.

“Sri Lankan Army needs to be educated on future warfare to become a modernized army by 2025,” the PM said. Stressing that utmost respect should be given to soldiers who sacrifice their lives at the battle ground, the Prime Minister pointed out that it is important to heal the wounds from the conflict with the end of the 30-year war and measures need to be taken to protect the good name of the Sri Lankan military. See also P4