Sri Lanka’s Prez underlines rise of Asian armed forces

Colombo, Dec 15 (IANS) Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Thursday underlined the rise of Asian armed forces and noted their substantial capabilities compared to some Western counterparts.

Wickremesinghe, speaking at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) Course 17 award ceremony, emphasized the need for a broader international perspective in military education and highlighted the evolving global landscape.A total of 148 including 25 foreign military officers from nations like India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Maldives, Rwanda, Senegal, US, and Zambia completed the course. Wickremesinghe expressed his commitment to providing more opportunities for officers from various countries in Sri Lankan courses and expressed pleasure in noting the diverse international representation among the students, extending beyond Sri Lanka’s borders. He emphasized the need to provide opportunities to officers and cadets from various countries, reinforcing the importance of global collaboration among the three defence academies.The President also stressed the significance of idea exchange and international interactions, citing the profound changes occurring in the present decade. He outlined major geopolitical shifts, predicting new methods, strategies, technologies and global situations that armed forces worldwide would encounter by the decade’s end.–IANSsfl/sha