Page 40 - MDSL Final

MARITIME DOCTRINE OF SRI LANKA
Training and Education

The processes by which men and women are trained and educated for
maritime war fighting involve both individual and collective efforts. The
intricacies of contemporary warships and the systems that they carry
mean that naval personnel of all ranks and specialisations require good
intelligence and a high level of education from the outset to hone and
maintain core competencies.

Even with increasingly realistic simulators, the individual’s training
as a sailor will not be completed until after he or she has had first-
hand seagoing experience. Units newly commissioned or operational
after extended periods of maintenance, both of which often involve
considerable changeover of personnel, cannot be estimated to conduct
operations with any high degree of effectiveness and efficiency.
Therefore, ships in these environments undertake harbour training and
system checks before they go to sea to achieve minimum standards
of safety and work up to attain the operational capability required.
The level of such capability set for achievement will depend upon the
operational requirement, but even in peacetime no unit will be deployed
by a commander until it has reached a specified minimum level of
operational capability. Certain threats or exigencies will require priority
to be given to particular warfare areas or techniques, while others can
be held at designated peacetime criterions. This focusing allows the
most efficient allocation of resources, as well as ensuring that effective
forces are provided to operational commanders as swiftly as possible.

Work Life Balance

Every member of the SLN has a commitment to serve at sea and shore.
SLN personnel in an environment that is stressful, tiring and isolated
from family, friends and many of the comforts and activities. In order to
ensure our naval personnel live well, work well and be well; a work life
balance is essential. This balance is aided through recognition of family
commitments and the establishment of flexible working arrangements
and cycles of employment designed to ensure that every member has an
opportunity to have a break from extended periods at sea, remote areas

22 To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea