By Shamindra Ferdinando
Speculation is rife that the National People’s Power (NPP) government is planning to do away with the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) at the end of this year.
Having examined the overall post-war security requirements, the new government has asserted that it could do away with the Office of the CDS, sources said, adding that the move was in line with overall thinking of the ruling party.
Sri Lanka brought the war to a successful conclusion in May 2009 against many a professed opinion to the contrary.
President Anura Kumara Dissanayake is also the Minister of Defence and head of the National Security Council. The CDS is the highest ranking armed forces officer and outranks respective commanders of the Army, Navy and Air Force.
The incumbent CDS is General Shavendra Silva, former Army commander (2019-2022) and wartime General Officer Commanding (GoC) of the celebrated 58 Division, the former Task Force I.
The origins of the Office of the CDS could be traced back to the Joint Operations Command (JOC) that was established in late Feb. 1985 to meet the growing threat posed by separatist terrorist movements. The JOC was meant to coordinate operations among the tri-services and the police.
After the launch of the second Janatha Vimukthi Peremuna (JVP)-led insurgency in 1987, during the JRJ presidency, the JOC received additional responsibilities. There had been three General Officers Commanding JOC namely. T.I. (Bull) Weeratunga (Feb. 85 to Sept. 85), Cyril Ranatunga (Sept. 85 to July 1988) and Hamilton Wanasinghe (Nov. 1991 to Sept. 1993).
In early January 1999, under controversial circumstances, the JOC was renamed the Joint Operations Bureau (JOB) during CBK presidency.
JOB had been a civilian outfit though Gen. Rohan de S. Daluwatte served it as Chairman from Jan. 1999 to April 2000).
However, during the JOB managed war effort, the government suffered a series of heavy battlefield defeats in the northern theatre. A deeply concerned CBK administration established Joint Operations Headquarters (JoH) in late April 2000 immediately after the LTTE forced 54 Division plus troops out of the strategically located Elephant Pass sector. With that change, Gen. Daluwatte was made the Chief of Defence Staff (January 2000 to June 2002) and he was followed by Lionel Balagalle (Oct. 2003 to June 2004), Admiral Daya Sandagiri (Sept. 2004 to June 2006) and Air Chief Marshal Donald Perera (June 2006 to July 2009).
Following the conclusion of the war, the Rajapaksa government introduced the Chief of Defence Staff Act No. 35 of 2009. In terms of that the duties of the CDS were extended by the Chief of Defence Staff Act No. 35 of 2009 and it was named Office of the CDS.
War-winning Army Commander General Sarath Fonseka (promoted to the rank of Field Marshal in 2015) served as the first CDS appointed under the new Act (July 2009 to Nov 2009). Fonseka resigned to contest the 2010 presidential election.
The following officers subsequently served as CDS: Air Chief Marshal Roshan Goonetileke (Nov. 2009 to Aug. 2013), Jagath Jayasuriya (Aug. 2013 to June 2015), Air Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunatilleke (June 2015 to June 2017), Gen. AWJC de Silva (June 2017 to Aug 2017) and Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne (Aug. 2017 to Dec. 2019).
General Silva, who served as the Acting CDS, was appointed CDS in June 2022 at the height of political turmoil caused by Pohottuwa goons attack on the Galle Face protesters and unprecedented and well-coordinated retaliation carried out by interested parties.
President Ranil Wickremesinghe re-appointed General Silva as CDS for a period of six months – from June 1 to Dec. 31, 2024. Wickremesinghe issued an extraordinary gazette in this regard under Section 3 of the Chief of Defence Staff Act, No. 35 of 2009.
Army Chief General Vikjum Liyanage who received appointment as the Commander of the Army on June 01, 2022 from President Gotabaya Rajapaksa is on his second service extension. Gotabaya Rajapaksa had to flee the country six weeks later after massive crowds overwhelmed the police and the armed forces.
Navy Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, too, is on his second service extenstion.
Air Vice Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa is on his first service extension after being appointed commander in June 2023.
The following are Maj. Gen. Dinesh Nanayakkara, Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda and Air Vice Marshal Sampath Wickremeratne, the No 02 officers in the Army, Navy and Air Force, respectively. However, being Chief of Staff doesn’t guarantee the top slot.
Retired AVM Sampath Thuyakontha is the Secretary Defence while retired Maj. Gen. Aruna Jayasekera was brought on the NPP National List and appointed Deputy Defence Minister. President Dissanayake has declared that State Ministers wouldn’t be appointed during his tenure.
Meanwhile, Priyantha Weerasooriya still functions as Acting IGP pending the Supreme Court verdict on nine petitions filed by several parties, including Colombo Archbishop, Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, challenging the then President Ranil Wickremesinghe’s decision to appoint Deshabandu Tennakoon as the IGP. The case will be taken up again on Feb. 24th and 25th.
