A senior Defence Ministry official said that Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Daya Sandagiri had appointed the 'Strategic Planning Committee' to evaluate the present defence mechanism in the north-east and make necessary recommendations to rectify shortcomings. Accordingly, Director General Operations of the Navy, Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekera has been appointed as chairman of the committee, while Brigadier Parakrama Pannipitiya (Director Operations, Joint Operations Headquarters), Brigadier Krishantha Silva (Director Operations, Army), Air Commodore Roshan Gunatilake (Director Operations, Air Force), Brigadier A. Chandrasiri and Commodore Thisara Samarasinghe have been appointed as members of the committee.
The official also said that the team has already visited the North and East and obtained first hand information in this regard. "Once they gather information, the committee will submit the report to the CDS, who will take it up at the National Security Council", he said.
The committee is expected to gather information on every aspect of the Army, Navy and the Air Force based in the north and east and evaluate their strength to face any surprise strike.
It is also expected to make recommendations on managing the security of the entire country in the event of resumption of war.
The defence authorities had taken this action, since there was no proper strategic plan to implement if war breaks out again. This is the first time the government had taken measures to evaluate its military power since the signing of the Ceasefire Agreement.
