Gen. Dennis Perera Memorial Oration:

‘A visionary military leader who founded a professional army’

“Today, the Sri Lanka Army stands between the end of a protracted internal conflict and an era of reconciliation and development. The entire organisation is undergoing close scrutiny. Some believe that reorganising the military structure is what the country needs to fuel a recovery from the ills brought about by 30 years of conflict. In this context, the professionalism of the Army is important to verify and substantiate such ideas and to bring out the best of this organisation to serve the nation with its diverse capabilities.

“True expertise of military professionals lie not in the generation of violence, but in the management of that violence for constructive purposes. The post conflict context in Sri Lanka demands even more from a soldier, as he belongs to a disciplined and a reputed organisation which has earned the respect and regard of the people of his country,” said the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, delivering the General Dennis Perera Memorial Oration on ‘Professionalism of the Sri Lanka Army’ at the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) auditorium recently on the invitation of the Association of Retired Flag Rank Officers (ARFRO).

LTTE

“Today's topic, “Professionalism in the Army.” is relevant, as we strive to make the Army more professional and build on its successes in the recent past.

“May 19, 2009, signifies one of the most important milestones in the history of Sri Lanka since the country's Armed Forces defeated one of the most ruthless separatist organisations in the world, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The defeat of the LTTE revitalised the hopes and dreams of all the people in Sri Lanka, and closed the chapter in one of the bloodiest periods of the island's history.

The victory over the LTTE could also be regarded as one of the best indicators of professionalism displayed by the Sri Lanka Army.

“To achieve this victory, the men and women of the Sri Lanka Army made endless sacrifices, particularly in last stages of the conflict, in which the need of the hour was to rescue innocent civilians, trapped by the LTTE in the war zone. In this long- drawn battle against terrorism, professionalism displayed by the Army cannot be in fact be matched. All the sacrifices made were for the unity and peace of the motherland.

“Achieving what was once thought impossible by many, will definitely be a moment of truth in the history of the Sri Lanka Army. Yet, I reiterate that if not for the firm and uncompromising leadership given by the President as the Commander in Chief, the valuable guidance of the Secretary, Ministry of Defence and Urban Development, and the commitment made by all of the Armed Forces, which worked as a team with a singular objective, the success of this mission of ending terror from Sri Lanka, would have been uncertain.

Foundation

“This success achieved by the Sri Lanka Army has a close association with today's topic as General Dennis Perera, former Commander of the Army is credited with laying the foundation for a professional Army. I am certain that General Perera was very proud of this victory over terrorism in May 2009.

“General Perera led a very small, peace time Army of about 12,500 Officers and Other Ranks. However, his personality, vision, leadership, character and humane qualities gave him the reputation of a visionary military leader, and won him the admiration of many who joined in later years. His greatest contribution to the Sri Lanka Army was taking certain measures that would become the foundations of a professional Army. General Perera is credited with substantiating the pay of Officers and Other Ranks, realising the need of the hour.

“It is pertinent to understand how his vision reinforced professionalism in the Sri Lanka Army. General Perera as the Commander of the Army strove to develop combat efficiency in the Army, to encounter future threats to the country. Combat efficiency or the ability to fight, consists of a Conceptual Component which is the thought process, a Moral Component or the

ability to get people to fight and a Physical Component that is the means to fight. He addressed all these relevant areas which paid great dividends in the following years.

World-class

“Considering the depth of his thought process; I could safely say, he envisaged the future requirements and took measures accordingly to develop the Conceptual Component of the Army. The pinnacle of his vision towards developing the thought process was the setting up of the Sri Lanka Military Academy and General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy (KDA) which has now become a world-class Defence University.

“He envisioned KDU as an essential institute for fostering a spirit of comradeship amongst officers of the three armed services while providing them tertiary level education. The vision was to facilitate “jointness” during their service in the Armed Forces. The depth of his vision is exemplified by the fact that the “togetherness” of Officers from the three armed services greatly contributed to the success of military operations, in ensuing years.

Knowing the importance of the Moral Component for a professional Army, General Perera took a few remarkable steps to boost up preparation, enthusiasm and the inspiration to fight. He conceptualized and initiated action to introduce, design and award Gallantry Awards as well as Awards for distinguished service in the armed forces of Sri Lanka.

He is also credited with formulating and introducing the Dress Codes and ceremonial procedures of the Army. He emphasised the need to have a perfect appearance and insisted that pride in uniform was a fundamental need to uplift morale amongst soldiers. Such measures promoted professional ethos, self-esteem and traditions. He was able to bring back lost glamour to the

Rank and File through the re-introduction of Colour Parades, the Award of Colours and Mess Functions in to the routine of the Army.

“To improve the Physical Component of the Army, General Perera emphasised on strengthening and restructuring the organisation of the Army and raising new units to meet future needs. Raising the first ever squadron of Commandos and raising the Women's Corps made the Sri Lanka Army more combat oriented and a more gender equal organisation.

General Perera viewed the future in a broader perspective, which enabled him to see the need for expansion and professionalism in what was then a small organisation. As the Commander, he was instrumental in re-introducingoverseas training and overseas courses. Starting with India and Pakistan, he was able to re-negotiate with the United Kingdom and the United States

followed by Malaysia and Bangladesh to have Officers sent on Staff College courses as well as other training courses for both senior and junior Officers.

“He negotiated with the Ministry of Defence to obtain substantial allowances for Officers when they left for foreign training. The allowances were brought on par with the allowances given to other government officials. Moreover, he encouraged Officers to take their spouses along with them.

“In subsequent years, General Perera was involved in educating Officers at the Staff College and at Kotelawela Defence Academy. He stressed on one aspect; that Soldiers belong to the ‘Profession of Arms’, a fact that he strived to instil amongst the young Officers of the Army. Another matter he stressed on was that professionalism must be an essential trait in the Army. One of his aspirations for the Army in this regard was for Officers to be recognised by society as professionals.

Difference

“A professional in any field ought to possess the basic qualities and characteristics of that profession, which can only be acquired through prolonged education and experience. In the Army, professionalism entails extreme levels of commitment, discipline as well as skills along with communication, experience, responsibility and ethics, apart from conventional qualities and characteristics necessary to become a professional. This marks the difference between professional soldiers and other professionals.

“Profession of Arms is guided by a code of ethics, which tells the soldier what is right and wrong when making decisions. This culture inculcates altruism; that is, selfless service to the nation. It encourages continuous assessment, learning and development which together enable the Army to be an adaptive, learning profession. Army professionals should be fully committed to do more than a job. A soldier is not motivated by financial aspects but by will to work for the society and the country. All this contribute to making soldiering a very different profession from most others.

“Samuel Huntington describes Military Professionalism in a slightly different angle, which has certain similarities to our understanding.

Specialised knowledge

“Huntington states that professionalism distinguishes the military Officer of today from the warriors of bygone ages. He cites three characteristics, namely; Expertise, Responsibility and Corporateness that distinguish military profession as a special type of vocation.

“According to Huntington, “a professional is an expert with a specialised knowledge and skills in a significant field of human endeavour.” A professional has two essential qualities: a broad education which is imparted by the institutions in society and specialized knowledge and skills that are given by the institution of the profession itself.

“Huntington asserts that a particular expertise of a military Officer is the direction, operation and control of a human organization whose primary function is the application of violence. Although the military contains many varieties of specialists, the management of violence is the skill of the military, not shared with any civilian groups. This is universal and is not affected by changes in time or location.

“The second characteristic of a professional soldier is Social Responsibility. A soldier performs a service that is crucial to the

functioning of society. As far as a military Officer is concerned, the primary responsibility is the protection of society and the state. He or she is motivated through the code of ethics grounded in customs and traditions rather than financial compensation. “It constitutes the driving force of the Soldier's conduct and sets apart the military professional from a mercenary or any other.

The third distinguished characteristic is Corporateness; which is unity and consciousness among members that they belong to a distinct body which has formal standards of professional competency.

Professionalism

“Today, the Sri Lanka Army stands between the end of a protracted internal conflict and an era of reconciliation and development. The entire organisation is undergoing close scrutiny. Some believe that reorganizing the military structure is what the country needs to fuel a recovery from the ills brought about by 30 years of terrorism. In this context, the professionalism of the Army is important to verify and substantiate such ideas and to bring out the best of this organisation to serve the nation with its diverse capabilities.

“A modern and well versed soldier is a practitioner of the Profession of Arms in much the same way that a Doctor is a practitioner of the profession of medicine. Specific technical and tactical knowledge, institutions peculiar to itself and an educational system with career patterns adapted to specific needs, characterize the Profession of Arms that serves a collective client, the Nation.

“As Huntington pointed out, true expertise of military professionals lies not in the generation of violence, but in the management of that violence for constructive purposes. The post conflict context in Sri Lanka demands even more from a soldier, as he belongs to a disciplined and a reputed organisation which has earned the respect and regard of the people of his country.

Vigilant

“The challenges that Sri Lanka faces in the post-terrorsim scenario calls for continuous efforts to foster professionalism. Though threat perception has changed dramatically in the post conflict situation, the Army needs to maintain the highest level of vigilance to curb any attempts to revive terrorism and disrupt the peace that now exists throughout the land.

“Therefore, the Army will have to continue to remain vigilant about this possibility and take measures to prevent such movements from emerging in the future.

“As mandated by the Army Act, the Sri Lanka Army should continue its role in assisting the civil population and authorities to maintain essential services during civil unrest, as we have practised throughout the conflict.

Even in the present time, changing climatic patterns have made natural disasters more common leading to a role for the military. Disaster management has in fact become a major task for modern Armies world-wide, thus demanding additional competencies and capabilities.“It is not only these tasks that demand the Army to play a dynamic role; our country's development drive to become the Wonder of Asia also demands certain non combat skills of the Army in support of national development.

Such tasks and missions inform us of the need to acquire a wide array of skills in diverse trades which go beyond traditional military roles.

Warfare

“The Sri Lanka Army has to place emphasis on Professionalism and its Future as we envision a professionally competent, technologically advanced and more adaptable force; capable of undertaking various military civic actions of tomorrow, whilst preserving our core competencies in waging warfare. The Sri Lanka Army has identified the requirement of making our men and women more conversant with futuristic warfare to facilitate professionalism.

“In keeping with this noble aspiration; the vision of the Army is to strive and achieve the highest of professional standards in all aspects at all times to meet national security needs and civil military obligations of the nation.

“The average soldier devotes a considerable proportion of his career to formal training; perhaps more than in any other professional. If the desired professional military expertise is ever to be achieved and sustained, the military training system; including basic and subsequent training including the senior level military learning will have to assume a key role. Having understood this; the Sri Lanka Army has embarked on an Infrastructure development program to suit the present and future requirements of the Army.

“Training Command was established to provide required guidance and supervision of training. Furthermore, the upgrading of training establishments, amalgamation, relocation and raising the status of the institutions even to the level of degree awarding institutes and proposed Centralised Recruit Training Centre are among some of the major steps in this direction.

“Today, the Sri Lanka Army is no doubt one of the most experienced Armies in Counter terrorism and Counter insurgency warfare in the world. Our expertise along with a wealth of experience has won the admiration of many other armies. Our efforts to enhance interaction between armies and promote greater cooperation in the spheres of mutual interest have paid dividends.

There can be no skill without the discipline to train. There can be no adherence to discipline without the commitment to endure.There can be no commitment without disciplined skills to complete the mission.These factors are interrelated thus one cannot exist without the other. The Sri Lanka Army has always striven to maintain the highest of standards in every activity, be it in combat or any other duty called upon by the nation. I would like to end my speech with this quote from the great Chinese Strategist Sun Tzu, which clearly illustrates our great military values which cannot be found in any other profession.

“Regard your soldiers as your children, and they will follow you into the deepest valleys. Look on them as your own beloved sons, and they will stand by you even unto death!”

- Sun Tzu