Right-sizing process does not pose a threat to national security : General Mahesh

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Army Commander Lieutenant General Mahesh Senanayake stated that the Sri Lankan Army will not, under any circumstances, resort to any decisions that would pose a threat to national security. Issuing a statement, the Army Commander said the Sri Lankan Army would not be closing down any Army camps. This statement was issued in response to media reports regarding the closure of army camps in the Northern Province. Lieutenant General Senanayake said that the ‘right-sizing’ process has always been happening in the Army and had even taken place during the war and also in the post-war period. He said, “Through that, the troops mainly deployed for administrative duties are relieved and mobilized for field duties to gain better productivity, thereby doubling their efficiency." Lieutenant General Senayakes notes that this process does not allow any Army camp to be closed, but it instead enables the majority of troops in those camps to be deployed for emergency disaster needs and nation-building tasks in an effective manner. While noting that some false media reports try to claim that this process has led to a large let-up in the security arrangements in the North and East, Senanayake added, "It certainly is not a disbanding of battalions, but is only a restructuring with the intention of distributing human and material resources equally among other battalions."