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“Deterrence through Detection” UNCLASSIFIED

JOINT MARITIME AIR OPERATIONS

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IN SRI LANKA ; Raison d'ê
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(Strategy Proposal by Sri Lanka Navy)

“Contiguous nature of the sky bestows upon those able to utilize it
certain distinctive advantages”

Introduction

1. War fighting is becoming extremely lethal, super expensive and technologically

intensive. Factoring the advent and inclusion of AI into this calculus triggers an
exponential drift between advanced developed nations and rest of the world where we
are inherently part off. In this regard small states of today are more inclined in the best
of their interests to pursue a normative path. Thus, there is a need for an urgent and
honest appraisal of what we seriously want from our defence/security forces and in
particular the Navy in the coming decade. The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) has clearly
inscribed its future aspirations in the ‘Proposal for Sri Lanka Navy’s Strategy 2030 &

Beyond’ (NAVSTRAT -2030) document in which Sri Lanka’s maritime obligations within
the IOR is among the concerns.

2. Though there are no apparent or significant military aggressions or threats from
the sea to Sri Lanka, there is a high probability of the island’s waters being exploited and
exhausted for unjust ends. Moreover, our seas are today congested and contested. In
order to respond to these persisting maritime threats and challenges in our domain and
the evolving strategic environment, the SLN must seek a new seaward-operational
orientation. Thus, acquiring capabilities to meet future demands is not a choice but a
necessity. Overall, the entire SLN fleet is severely short of credible surface, subsurface
or anti-air capabilities. However, our indomitable belief in our abilities and global
commitments steered us in becoming a member of the Combined Maritime
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1
Force(CMF) . As we prepare to assume leadership of Task Force -154 , lest this be an
enduring reminder towards upgrading our defensive capabilities. The Navy acutely
lacks versatility and flexibility that are essential for a balanced maritime force to
achieve desired results in an object area/area of interest.

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On 20th November, 2023 Sri Lanka Navy became the 39th member of the world’s largest maritime
coalition force, which has now grown into a 46 nation naval partnership.
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TF-154 under the CMF provides for multinational maritime training on 05 pillars; maritime awareness,
law of the sea, maritime interdiction, maritime rescue and assistance and leadership and development.

2

UNCLASSIFIED “Deterrence through Detection”