SRI LANKA TO DOWNSIZE ARMY TO 135,000 NEXT YEAR AMID CRISIS

Fri 13 January 2023:

Sri Lanka’s State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Tennakoon has stated that it is expected to downsize the existing Sri Lanka Army cadre of 200,783 to 135,000 by next year.

Taking to Twitter, Tennakoon stated that military expenditure is a state-born expense which indirectly, both, stimulates and opens avenues for economic growth by way of assuring national and human security.

2/3 by way of assuring national and human security. Thus, despite the approved cadre of the #Army, which is now 200,783, it will be reduced to 135,000 by 2024 and it has been projected to right size the strength to 100,000 by 2030.

— Premitha Bandara Tennakoon (@PremiTennakoon) January 13, 2023

Thus, he noted that despite the approved Army cadre of over 200,000 personnel, it is expected to be reduced to 135,000 personnel by 2024, and further slashed to 100,000 by 2030.

“The strength of the military and sustainable economic development are two sides of a coin, which stay together, but never talk to each other in open”, the State Minister explained.

Accordingly, Tennakoon explained that the overall aim of the strategic blueprint is to broach a well-balanced defence force that is both tactical and technical by 2030, so as to meet all upcoming security challenges while also being in compliance with the national security dimensions of the country.

The island nation of 22 million people has been forced to cut back on government expenditure after it slid into a deep economic crisis last year when foreign exchange reserves dried up.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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