Page 96 - MDSL Final

MARITIME DOCTRINE OF SRI LANKA
navigation equipment. For a ship to be able to fight effectively, all these
equipment and machinery must keep working at peak efficiency. This
department’s special contribution during the conflict came in the form of
not just technical support but as an active solution provider by speedily
acquiring and deploying network centric surveillance systems such as
over the horizon high frequency surface wave radars, day/night cameras,
AIS, CCTV, special small target tracker radars which were installed in
vulnerable points and remotely providing the battle picture to command
Headquarters/Naval Headquarters for real time decision making. In the
context of modern warfare with network centric operations, electrical
and electronic engineering branch personnel will play a vital role and
responsibility to meet the challenging tasks.

Medical Branch

Physical and mental health of naval personnel is imperative for an
efficient Navy. The medical branch functions as a fully-fledged branch
that executes its responsibility of maintaining the general health of
all naval personnel in war and peace. This branch consists of Medical
and Dental personnel. They also undertake combat, sports and diving
medicine.

Naval Infantry Branch

The Naval Infantry constitutes the land fighting component of SLN to
conduct combat operations on land. Initially when this branch formed
in 1983 with mere 11 men, it was called the Naval Patrolmen branch as
there was a requirement of a separate branch to defend the naval bases
and release more seaman and technical branch sailors for the classical
naval role. With the escalation of terrorist activities in July the same
year this branch expanded rapidly as it necessitated the protection of
outlying Naval Detachments such as the Naval Livestock and Agricultural
Project (NALP) and protection of naval road convoys where additional
skills in land fighting and man power were needed. When the Sri Lanka
Army launched the offensive operation in Wanni, three battalions of this
branch was formed to take over the security of land areas liberated and
also to provide security for the islands in the North where new bases

78 To Nurture a Stable Environment at Sea