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Sri Lanka Structure and Administration of the Armed Forces
The armed forces consist of the Sri Lankan Army, Navy, and
Air Force. As stipulated in the 1978 Constitution, the president
of Sri Lanka is the commander in chief of the armed forces and
has the sole authority to declare war and peace. Under the
president, the formal chain of command includes the prime
minister, the minister of defense, and the individual service
commanders. In order to consolidate control over the armed
forces, Jayewardene also assumed the portfolio of minister of
defense when he took office in 1977. In March 1984, the
additional position of minister of internal security was created
in response to the ethnic turmoil of the previous summer. Its
incumbent was primarily responsible for the coordination of
government efforts in the eradication of Tamil extremist violence
and reported directly to the president. On the operational level,
the government created a Joint Operations Command in 1985 to
coordinate the anti-insurgent and antiterrorist activities of the
army, navy, air force, and police. This council was chaired by
the president and included, among others, the prime minister, the
minister of internal security, the three service commanders, the
inspector general of police, the director of the National
Intelligence Bureau, and the general officer commanding joint
operations.
Data as of October 1988
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