UNITED24 - Make a charitable donation in support of Ukraine!

Military


Sri Lanka - Army Order of Battle

11 Division Panagoda, Western Province
21 Division Trincomlee
22 Division Trincomlee
23 Division Batticaloa
51 Division Jaffna Town
52 Division Vadamarachy
53 Division Mullaittivu
54 Division Mannar
55 Division Mullaittivu
56 Division1Vavuniya
57 Division Mullattivu
58 Division Mullaittivu
59 Division Mullaittivu
61 Division Vavuniya
62 Division Jaffna Peninsula
In early 1988, the government announced a major reorganization of the army, creating several high-level posts to accommodate the new structure. Under this revised chain of command, the commander of the army (upgraded from lieutenant general to general) was assisted by a deputy commander (a lieutenant general) and a chief of staff (a major general). Apart from the Colombo District, which was under the direct authority of Army Headquarters, the island was divided into two area commands and twenty-one sectors. Each area command had 12,000 troops under the authority of a major general, with a brigadier as chief of staff. When the reorganization was completed, each sector had a full battalion of troops dedicated to its defense.

The 55 Division was the strongest Division the Army had in 2006 and it had over 10,000 infantry troops organised into four Brigades. It had 68 per cent of the Sri Lanka Army armour - armoured personnel carriers to the lighter tanks to the heavier tanks and all kinds of artillery comprising around 38 per cent of the Sri Lanka Army artillery guns supported by the signallers and the engineers.

Orbat.com reported that as of 2009 the Sri Lankan Army was organized into 14 divisions, consisting of 36 Infantry brigades. It appeared that 53 Division controlled the Armor, Airmobile, and SF Brigades. The constituent brigades can be switched to other divisions as needed.

As of 2010 Sri Lankan Army was probably organized into 15 divisions. Orbat.com reported that as of 2009 that 54 Division had been abolished. The LTTE couldn’t sustain the momentum of its offensive action in spite of the collapse of the SLA’s 54 Division headquartered at Elephant Pass in early 2000. But in December 2010 the Sri Lankan military reported that 54 Division deployed in Mannar area conducted a 'Sramadana' campaign to clean the buildings and surrounding of the Mannar district hospital on 09 October 2010 in parallel to series of events organized to celebrate the 61st anniversary of Sri Lanka Army. The 'Sramadana' campaign was organized under the directives of 54 Division Commander Brigadier Maithree Dias and over 100 army personnel participated for the 'Sramadana'. Speaking to defence.lk Brigadier Maithree Dias said, "the 'Sramadana' campaign was mainly focused on cleaning the potential dengue breeding locations around the hospital premises". Further, the drainage cannels of the hospital were also cleared during the 'Sramadana' campaign.

Like the Indian Army, the Sri Lankan Army largely retained the British-style regimental system that it inherited upon independence. The individual regiments (such as the Sri Lanka Light Infantry and the Sinha Regiment) operate independently and recruited their own members. Like the Indian Army, the Sri Lankan Army's regiments are not operational tactice units [a role performed by Brigades], but rather are recruitment, training and lineage units.

Officers tended to remain in a single battalion throughout their careers. The infantry battalion, the basic unit of organization in field operations, included five companies of four platoons each. Incomplete reports suggested as of 1988 that a typical platoon had three squads (sections) of ten personnel each. Battalions of these regiments are denominated as 18 VIR (Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment), or 20 SLSR (Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment), etc.

In addition to the basic infantry forces, a commando regiment was established in 1986. Support for the infantry was provided by two reconnaissance regiments (one regular, one reserve), two field artillery regiments (one regular, one reserve), one antiaircraft regiment, one field engineering regiment, one engineering plant regiment, one signals battalion, a medical corps, and a variety of logistics units.

Mahinda Rajapaksa, the President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and Commander in-Chief of the Armed Forces, by virtue of the powers vested by Section 3(2) of the Army Act (Chapter 357), determined that the following units to be elements of the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army with effect from the dates mentioned against them. This order - 03-551 - effective as of 23rd February, 2010, was published in PART I : SEC. (I) - GAZETTE EXTRAORDINARY OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST REPUBLIC OF SRI LANKA - No. 1643/4 - MONDAY, MARCH 01, 2010.

This table is not a complete listing of Sri Lankan Army units, but rather a list of those units which had been formed starting in the year 2000.

Higher Headquarters
Security Force Headquarters (East) 31 October, 2003
Security Force Headquarters (Kilinochchi) 05 June, 2009
Security Force Headquarters (Mullaittivu) 05 June, 2009
57 Division 04 February 2007
59 Division 01 December 2007
61 Division 05 May 2008
58 Division 03 January 2009
65 Division 18 September 2009
Area Headquarters (Welioya) 20 August 2004
Area Headquarters (Hambantota / Yala) 07 November 2007.
Forward Maintenance Area (Kilinochchi) 11 August 2009
Forward Maintenance Area (Mullaittivu) 17 August 2009
Brigades
515 Brigade 22 February 2000
571 Brigade 04 February 2007
572 Brigade 04 February 2007
581 Brigade 02 July 2007
582 Brigade 02 July 2007
583 Brigade 01 October 2007
591 Brigade 01 December 2007
592 Brigade 01 December 2007
612 Brigade 05 May 2008
234 Brigade 10 June 2008
631 Brigade 25 October 2008
641 Brigade 10 December 2008
642 Brigade 10 December 2008
651 Brigade 15 December 2008
652 Brigade 15 December 2008
661 Brigade 10 January 2009
662 Brigade 10 January 2009
593 Brigade 15 February 2009
554 Brigade 08 July 2009
573 Brigade 11 March 2009
594 Brigade 11 March 2009
595 Brigade 12 March 2009
672 Brigade 08 July 2009
683 Brigade 08 July 2009
671 Brigade 08 July 2009
684 Brigade 23 July 2009
623 Brigade 01 August 2009
632 Brigade 12 August 2009.
Regiments and Battalions
14th Rocket Regiment Sri Lanka Artillery 25 July 2001
4th Commando Regiment 15 March 2003
3rd Battalion the Sri Lanka Army General Services Corps 02 November 2006
4th Battalion the Sri Lanka Army General Services Corps 02 November 2006
15th Medium Regiment the Sri Lanka Artillery 01 December 2007
11 Field Regiment the Sri Lanka Engineers 01 December 2007
11th Battalion the Sri Lanka Light Infantry 25 June 2007
12th Battalion the Sri Lanka Light Infantry 01 December 2007
15th Battalion the Sri Lanka Light Infantry 01 December 2007
12th Battalion the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 25 June 2007
14th Battalion the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 01 December 2007
11th Battalion the Gemunu Watch 25 June 2007
12th Battalion the Gemunu Watch 01 December 2007
12th Battalion the Gajaba Regiment 25 June 2007
14th Battalion the Gajaba Regiment 01 December 2007
11th Battalion the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 25 June 2007
14th Battalion the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 01 December 2007
3rd Commando Regiment 08 March 2007
4th Regiment Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps 09 March 2007
Electrical and Mechanical Engineer (Armoured) Battalion 17 May 2007
9th Regiment the Sri Lanka Signal Corps 21 April 2008
19th Battalion the Sri Lanka Light Infantry 01 October 2008
20th Battalion the Sri Lanka Light Infantry 01 December 2008
16th Battalion the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 01 July 2008
20th Battalion the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 01 October 2008
21st Battalion the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 01 December 2008
17th Battalion the Gemunu Watch 01 October 2008
18th Battalion the Gemunu Watch 01 December 2008
16th Battalion the Gajaba Regiment 01 October 2008
18th Battalion the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 01 October 2008
4th Battalion Mechanized Infantry Regiment 01 February 2008
4th Regiment Special Force 15 June 2008
5th Engineer Services Regiment 13 August 2009
5th Regiment Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps 13 August 2009
4th Battalion Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineering 13 August 2009
4th Regiment Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police 13 August 2009
23rd Battalion the Sri Lanka Light Infantry 03 July 2009
23rd Battalion the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 01 August 2009
19th Battalion the Gemunu Watch 01 January 2009
20th Battalion the Gajaba Regiment 01 January 2009
22nd Battalion the Gajaba Regiment 03 July 2009
19th Battalion the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 01 January 2009
5th Commando Regiment 10 April 2009
5th Regiment Special Force 10 April 2009
24th Battalion the Sri Lanka Light Infantry 10 September 2009
22nd Battalion the Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 05 September 2009
23rd Battalion the Gajaba Regiment 18 August 2009
24th Battalion the Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 01 October 2009
23rd Battalion the Gemunu Watch 07 October 2009
24th Battalion the Gajaba Regiment 12 October 2009
Reinforcement Regiments of the Regular Force
6th Regiment the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (Reinforcement) 11 July 2007
9th Regiment the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (Reinforcement) 01 December 2007
16 Regiment the Sri Lanka Artillery (Reinforcement) 01 December 2007
10th Regiment the Sri Lanka Engineers (Reinforcement) 11 June 2007
12th Regiment the Sri Lanka Engineers (Reinforcement) 01 December 2007
7th Regiment the Sri Lanka Signal Corps (Reinforcement) 01 December 2007
10th Regiment the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (Reinforcement) 01 June 2008
17th Regiment the Sri Lanka Artillery (Reinforcement) 01 February 2008
18th Regiment the Sri Lanka Artillery (Reinforcement) 01 July 2008
14th Regiment the Sri Lanka Engineers (Reinforcement) 01 June 2008
8th Regiment the Sri Lanka Signal Corps (Reinforcement) 01 February 2008
10th Regiment the Sri Lanka Signal Corps (Reinforcement) 01 July 2008
Units of the Volunteer Force
3rd (Volunteer) Military Intelligent Corps 21 April 2004
23rd Sri Lanka National Guard 01 July 2006
6th (Volunteer) Engineer Services Regiment 06 January 2006
7th (Volunteer) Engineer Services Regiment 06 January 2006
8th (Volunteer) Engineer Services Regiment 24 April 2006
16th (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Light Infantry 01 December 2007
17th (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 01 December 2007
15th (Volunteer) The Gemunu Watch 01 December 2007
17th (Volunteer) The Gajaba Regiment 01 December 2007
15th (Volunteer) The Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 01 December 2007
07th Sri Lanka National Guard 23 July 2007
08th Sri Lanka National Guard 15 August 2007
24th Sri Lanka National Guard 01 December 2007
25th Sri Lanka National Guard 01 December 2007
17th (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Light Infantry 30 March 2008
18th (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 30 March 2008
19th (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 31 August 2008
16th (Volunteer) The Gemunu Watch 30 August 2008
18th (Volunteer) The Gajaba Regiment 30 March 2008
19th (Volunteer) The Gajaba Regiment 25 September 2008
16th (Volunteer) The Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 30 March 2008
9th (Volunteer) Engineer Services Regiment 01 November 2008
10th (Volunteer) Engineer Services Regiment 01 November 2008
26th Sri Lanka National Guard 30 March 2008
27th Sri Lanka National Guard 01 August 2008
28th Sri Lanka National Guard 27 September 2008
29th Sri Lanka National Guard 04 November 2008
30th Sri Lanka National Guard 07 December 2008
31st Sri Lanka National Guard 26 December 2008
18th (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Light Infantry 01 January 2009
21st (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Light Infantry 13 March 2009
22nd (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Light Infantry 10 June 2009
22nd (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment 01 July 2009
20th (Volunteer) Gemunu Watch 08 March 2009
21st (Volunteer) The Gemunu Watch 28 April 2009
22nd (Volunteer) The Gemunu Watch 25 July 2008
21st (Volunteer) The Gajaba Regiment 12 March 2009
17th (Volunteer) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 05 January 2009
20th (Volunteer) Vijayabahu Infantry Reginment 13 March 2009
21st (Volunteer) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment 01 August 2009
06th (Volunteer) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps 10 April 2009
32nd Sri Lanka National Guard 01 January 2009
33rd Sri Lanka National Guard 08 March 2009
34th Sri Lanka National Guard 08 March 2009
35th Sri Lanka National Guard 13 March 2009
36th Sri Lanka National Guard 28 April 2009

The Security Force Headquarters (East) was raised on 31 October 2003 by ARO 02/2004. At the inception there were Two DIVs (22 DIV - TCO & 23 DIV - Punani) and FMA (E) under command as organic fmns of the SFHQ (E). In addition Navy, Air Force, STF, Police and CDF dep in Eastern Theatre on ground role too were placed under command for operational matters. Subsequently, Security Force Headquarters – Jaffna (SFHQ - J) and Security Force Headquarters-Wanni (SFHQ-W) in Vavuniya were raised.





NEWSLETTER
Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list