Sri Lanka Army

The Sri Lanka Army is headquartered at the Defence Headquarters Complex in Akuregoda, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Operational command is exercised by the Commander of the Army through the General Staff. Ground forces are organized under 1 Corps, which acts as a mobile strike reserve, alongside regional commands designated as Security Forces Headquarters. These regional commands cover geographic zones across Jaffna, Wanni, East, Central, and South. Regular formations comprise infantry divisions, including the 11th, 14th, 22nd, 23rd, 51st, 53rd, and 58th Divisions, alongside independent armored, artillery, engineer, and signals brigades. Specialized formations include the Commando Regiment, headquartered at Ganemulla, and the Special Forces Regiment, based at Naula, organized under the Commando Brigade and Special Forces Brigade. Main garrisons include Panagoda Cantonment, Diyatalawa Garrison, and Rock House Army Camp in Colombo.

Armored units operate T-55AM2 and Type 59 main battle tanks. Mechanized infantry and armored reconnaissance units field BMP-1 and BMP-2 infantry fighting vehicles, Type 86 vehicles, BTR-80 and BTR-80A wheeled armored personnel carriers, and Type 92 armored vehicles. Troop transport relies on Unibuffel and Unicorn mine-protected vehicles. Mainline infantry regiments include the Sri Lanka Light Infantry, Sinha Regiment, Gemunu Watch, Gajaba Regiment, Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment, and Mechanized Infantry Regiment. Artillery units deploy Type 66 152 mm gun-howitzers, Type 59-1 130 mm field guns, Type 83 and Type 54 122 mm howitzers, and Type 81 and RM-70 122 mm multiple launch rocket systems, supported by 81 mm and 120 mm mortars. Air defense forces operate Igla shoulder-fired surface-to-air missiles and Type 63 and Type 74 twin 37 mm anti-aircraft guns.

Primary missions encompass territorial defense, internal security, border control, counter-insurgency, and disaster response. The army possesses combat experience from the Sri Lankan Civil War. Internationally, army personnel deploy on United Nations peacekeeping missions, providing infantry contingents and field hospital units to peacekeeping operations, including the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, and the United Nations Mission in South Sudan.

A force rightsizing program aims to reduce active standing personnel to a target force of 100,000 troops through natural attrition. Budgetary allocations prioritize technical modernization, operational readiness, and troop mobility. Domestic production focuses on mine-protected vehicles, such as the Unibuffel series, manufactured by Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, alongside localized maintenance, overhaul, and refurbishment programs for armored vehicles and field artillery.