Maldives National Defence Force soldiers trained by SLA CommandosDuring a recent visit to Sri Lanka to attend the SAARC Summit, Singh had confidentially given the go-ahead for the war, officials told this site. However, the state of Tamil Nadu is crucial for the ruling party's win and hence Narayanan's statement of impartiality. The Defence Advisor has recently said that despite successes, SLA is still to win the war and gain the support of the Tamils.
Despite the latest publicity stunt, India has maintained ongoing military cooperations with Sri Lanka with new training opportunities at prestigious colleges. Sri Lankan officers, including Generals and men are currently undergoing training in United States, UK, China, India, Russia and Pakistan.
Army Majors General undergoing training later in their careers was quite unusual some years back, but now, the Sri Lanka Army is a very young Army in terms of age. Some Generals in the SLA are as young as 47 years now. Major General Milinda Peiris from the Armoured Corp is an example.
These young, experienced and motivated officers were promoted based on merit and not on seniority of age. A few of these Majors General are currently undergoing training in prestigious colleges in the United States', including the National Defence College and the American War College at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, to name a few.
A large number of Battalion Commanders are also undergoing training in Russia, with another batch set to leave in September. Battalion Commanders are also training in China. Many of these officers are from the Major or Captain ranks. China is also the largest exporter of Army to Sri Lanka and the SLA fights primarily with Chinese weapons.
These opportunities demonstrate the confidence placed in the Military by the International Community despite attempts to shame Sri Lanka by some quarters.
