In a hard-hitting interview on Ada Derana’s Big Focus program, Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka expressed serious concerns over the state of Sri Lanka’s military, stating bluntly that “there has been no real progress in the army since the end of the war.” Speaking on the occasion of National War Heroes Day, the former Army Commander pulled no punches as he described what he sees as a shocking lack of preparedness and modernization within the country’s armed forces.
Recalling his time at the helm during the civil war, Fonseka said he had 80 tanks under his command. By the end of the war, 50 had been destroyed, leaving only 30 remaining today, a number that has not been replenished since. “Regiments need tanks. You can’t just have soldiers. You need properly armed forces, not just manpower. Yet no one even tried to replace what was lost,” he said, criticizing the post-war military strategy.
Fonseka dismissed the popular economic argument that Sri Lanka’s military is too large and expensive. “When I was in command, I managed a 200,000-strong army on the same budget that was allocated for 100,000. It doesn’t mean you can just cut corners,” he warned. “Security is not a budget line to trim, it’s a national necessity.”
Taking a broader view, Fonseka pointed to countries like Singapore, which, with a population of just 3.5 million, has trained nearly 3 million for national defense. “War readiness doesn’t begin when bombs start falling,” he said. “It takes two years to buy a tank, two years to train a commando or special forces soldier. That kind of preparation can’t be done overnight. But we’re acting like we can just improvise if something happens.”
The field marshal emphasized that Sri Lanka’s current military budget is likely the lowest in the region, and warned that this economic mindset of downscaling security could leave the nation dangerously vulnerable. “If this continues, we’ll dilute national security beyond repair.”
Fonseka also weighed in on the country’s shifting political climate. While he acknowledged that people have begun rallying for change, he remained skeptical about its depth and sustainability. “I said before: don’t be slaves to political parties. Break away from them. That’s the only way the country will move forward.”
He credited the people for pushing for change in the last election but cautioned that “what we got wasn’t a complete transformation it was a reaction to the lack of alternatives.” According to him, true change will only come when the public is well-organized and unrelenting in demanding accountability, forcing politicians to evolve or become obsolete.
“If we don’t fix this now, our children will pay the price tomorrow, just as we’re paying today.”
With his characteristic bluntness and battlefield credibility, Fonseka’s warning was clear: Sri Lanka may have ended a war, but it has not learned how to preserve the peace.
