Equip Navy to meet future challenges - Navy Commander

by Jayampathy JAYASINGHE

Missile technology will be a useful weapon in the future to protect the country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity from terrorist attacks.

Although the Navy has acquired two ships with missile technology capabilities it has not been put to use yet, the newly appointed Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, Rear Admiral T.S.G. Samarasinghe said at his first Media briefing at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo last Thursday. T.S.G. Samarasinghe is the 16th Naval Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy.

Rear Admiral Samarasinghe said that a fleet modernisation has been proposed to equip the Sri Lanka Navy to meet future challenges and threats posed from terrorists. A proposal will be made to engage future combat operations from ship platforms with aircrafts on board ships. This will facilitate combat operations at sea with ease, he said.

The Commander said a sufficient number of small naval crafts will be deployed in future in coastal areas to provide security to them. The failure to provide such security in the past had resulted in the LTTE terrorists consolidating their power in these areas. He said a fleet modernisation program will be undertaken in the future to strengthen the Navy.

“We have been most fortunate to engage LTTE ships with naval crafts that were not suited for such tasks. But we cannot repeat the same mistake for the second time. However we ensured that arsenal carried in LTTE ships did not reach our shores,” he said.

The Rear Admiral said the Navy has to increase coastal surveillance and has to be watchful of other ships in the region whether they were engaged in terrorist activity. The Sri Lanka Navy has a cordial relationship with the Indian Navy in these matters, he said.

Rear Admiral T.S.G. Samarasinghe assumed duties as the new Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy. He joined the Sri Lanka Navy as an Officer Cadet in 1974 and won the Sword of Honour at the Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee. He has several accolades to his credit such as the Best International Midshipman Award of the Britannia Royal Naval College at Darthmouth. A specialist Navigator who graduated from the Navigation and Direction School INS, at Venduruthy India after securing the 1st place in order of merit.

Rear Admiral Samarasinghe held key appointments both at sea and ashore. His commanded Short Patrol Craft, Long Patrol Craft, Fast Attack Craft, one of the first two Dvora Israel Craft to join the SLN fleet in 1985. A veteran seafarer with enough salt in his veins. He has commanded an operational base in the North and had been the Commandant and the Training Commander of two premier training establishments.

He was the Deputy Director /Director appointments at the Naval Headquarters.