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NAVSTRAT-2030 NAVSTRAT-2030

Main Pillars of the Naval Strategy Figure 1.4
The main pillars are; Maritime Security, Professionally Competent and Motivated Personnel,
Economic Development, Environmental Sustainability, International Cooperation, Capacity The Spectrum of Conflict
Building, Technology Integration, Public Awareness and Legal and Regulatory Framework.

Sri Lanka Defence Review 2030 Limited War

The key principles of Sri Lanka’s defence policy after gaining independence have always revolved Full Scale
around protecting its sovereignty, avoiding military alliances, refraining from conflicts in the Regional Conflict Warfighting
Indian Ocean, countering non-state actors adverse to Sri Lanka and contributing to global peace.
However, the security dynamics have witnessed a significant shift. Operations Other Than
War (OOTW)
Previously, Sri Lanka’s primary focus was on combating internal terrorism, notably the LTTE.
Today, the strategic environment has grown more complex, marked mainly by great power
competition between the United States and China, the emergence of strategic alliances such as the
Quadrilateral Security Dialogue (Quad) and trilateral security partnership by Australia, the United
Kingdom and the United States (AUKUS), the Ukraine war, the Israel – Hamas conflict and the Conflicts Other Than
omnipresent threat of climate change. Therefore, in the present context, Sri Lanka needs to prevail War (COTW)
in exercising its maritime tasks to maintain „Rules Based Good Order at Sea‟ with interacting
obligations in the Indian Ocean while protecting the nation from any maritime threats to national Military Activities
interests.
in Peace
Given this evolving landscape, the ‘Defence Review – 2030’ serves as a crucial step to adapt Sri
Lanka’s defence policy. The review not only analyse the current regional challenges but also Peace
outlines a roadmap for the future, encompassing both the immediate future and steps beyond 2030.

Key components of the Defence Review - 2030 include; Peace and Conflict
Any nation or state can be said at any one time to be at peace or in conflict. Peace remains the goal
 Strategic Vision and Challenges for Sri Lanka in 2030 above all to be prized. In reality, the current security environment places all countries somewhere
in this spectrum of conflict. Many are actually in situations of conflict other than war and some

 Security Interests of Sri Lanka are at conflict itself. The edges of peace and conflict are concealed and overlapped. Military
activities discharged during peace are likely to be based on the need for training and may also
 Defence Policy Objectives for 2030 include military aid to the civil authority. Peace can also be categorised into three main areas;

 Power Posture and Power Structure to address Strategic Challenges  Established Peace. There is no threat or actual violence. However, this is a
transitory condition, generally not enjoyed for long.
 Prioritization of urgent needs within the constraints of the existing financial
situation  Vulnerable Peace. In circumstances where peace is threatened it could be termed
as vulnerable peace. In such a scenario, disputes that threaten to dissolve into
The Spectrum of Conflict conflict will be apparent. Violence will come as an inevitable outcome and the
boundary to conflict will be crossed.
The spectrum of conflict signifies the full range of situations in which military forces may be called  Fragile Peace. In a situation following a conflict; if the basic causes and effects
upon to operate, ranging from stable peace to full-scale warfighting. The spectrum of conflict may have not been fully dealt with or restored, the peace that exists will be fragile and
be diagrammatically denoted in Figure 1.4: will demand careful steps to rebuild and consolidate.

The Maritime Fighting Power

Maritime fighting power and warfighting speciality – both allow our credibility and utility. When
required, we are called upon to protect the country from internal and external aggression. Naval
forces have significant military power within them. Aforesaid military power enables them to
perform desired roles spanning the entire spectrum of conflict. For this, the SLN must maintain

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