DMC to become global responder, and Sri Lankan military will be gradually right-sized - State Minister

COLOMBO (News 1st); Sri Lanka's State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara Thennakoon notes that the country would develop its disaster management sector to be on par with global standards.

He said that Sri Lanka intends to develop the Disaster Management Centre as a global responder to assist countries affected by disasters. 

State Minister of Defence Premitha Bandara made these observations during a discussion with a US National Guard delegation that met him in Colombo on Wednesday (17).

The State Minister, while highlighting the importance of the need to develop civil-military coordination, also said that the Sri Lankan military will be gradually right-sized.

He stressed the importance of adopting new and emerging technologies in order to increase effectiveness and efficiency.

The US delegation head, Maj. Gen. John P Hronek  said that they would assist at tactical and operational levels in training and emergency response during disaster situations.

The importance of establishing a building code to minimize damages and introducing an alarm system through mobile phones were also among the topics discussed during the discussion.