Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment
Encyclopedia
The Sri Lanka Army Commando Regiment (CR) (කොමාන්ඩෝ ‍රෙජිමේන්තුව) is an elite special operations unit which is a Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. Within one of the four Army Commando Regiments there is a 140-man counter-terrorist unit that provides the primary Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism
Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...

 response for Sri Lanka. This unit was created in 1980 and is based in Ganemulla
Ganemulla
Ganemulla is a mid size town situated in the Gampaha District of Sri Lanka. Ganemulla is about 9 km from Kadawatha on the Colombo-Kandy road. The nearest city to Ganemulla is Gampaha, which is about 5 km in distance...

, a suburb of Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...

.

History

In 1977 Lt. General J.E.D Perera, founder of Commandos, issued a call to combating terrorism in Sri Lanka, a decision was made by the Army HQ to raise a special counter-terrorist unit. Maj. Sunil Peris from 1GW, Capt. Sarath Handapangoda from 1st SR and three other ranks were selected as a Core Group and training commenced in the Ella Camp, Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa is a garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is at an altitude of and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers...

.

On 9 February 1978 the first ever commando training course commenced, Lt U. Edirisinghe and Lt. L. Chandrawansa, and 24 Other Ranks were drawn from the Armoured Corps
Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps is currently a collection of six regular regiments and a volunteer regiment. It has an independent Armoured Brigade and provides the armour capability of the Sri Lankan Army, with vehicles such as the T-55, T-55AM2, and Type 69 main battle tanks, the BMP infantry...

, Artillery
Sri Lanka Artillery
The Sri Lanka Artillery is a corps of the Sri Lanka Army. It is made up of 7 regular regiments and 2 volunteer regiments. The SLA is headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda.-History:...

, Engineers
Sri Lanka Engineers
http://fieldengineers.lk/The Sri Lanka Engineers a combat support arms of the Sri Lanka Army which provides combat engineering. It is made up of ten Regular Regiments and one Volunteer Regiments. Headquartered at Army Cantonment, Panagoda...

, Sri Lanka Light Infantry
Sri Lanka Light Infantry
The Sri Lanka Light Infantry is the oldest regiment in the Sri Lanka Army and the oldest infantry regiment in the army. It is made up of ten regular battalions, five volunteer battalions. Headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, Panagoda...

, Sinha Regiment
Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
The Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment is the first rifle regiment in the Sri Lanka Army and the second oldest infantry regiment in the army. It is made up of seven regular battalions, five volunteer battalions and a headquarter battalion...

 and the Gemunu Watch
Gemunu Watch
The Gemunu Watch was formed with troops from the Ceylon Light Infantry and the Ceylon Sinha Regiment in 1962. It has been deployed in many major operations against the LTTE. It is made up of 9 regular units and 4 volunteer units. Headquartered at Kuruwita Army Camp, Ratnapura...

 on a volunteer basis. Lt Percy Fernando was drawn from Officer Cadet School to assist in training. Lt. Srinath Rajapaksa, Lt. Vijitha Walikala, and four Officers volunteered for the second training course conducted at Diyatalawa. All trainees of both courses, except for aforementioned Officers, returned to their parent units after training.

A Commando squadron was formed in Gemunu Watch ‘B’ Camp at Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa is a garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is at an altitude of and has become a popular destination for local holiday makers...

 and Maj S.D. Peiris GW
Gemunu Watch
The Gemunu Watch was formed with troops from the Ceylon Light Infantry and the Ceylon Sinha Regiment in 1962. It has been deployed in many major operations against the LTTE. It is made up of 9 regular units and 4 volunteer units. Headquartered at Kuruwita Army Camp, Ratnapura...

 was appointed officer commanding, and Capt. Sarath Handapangoda was appointed as 2nd In Command. Shortly after that, the Squadron received specialized training in anti-terrorist and anti – hijack techniques conducted by the members of the elite Special Air Service
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...

 Regiment of Britain. The Commandos were later trained in parachuting at Agra, India and they performed their maiden display during Army Day celebrations on 10 October 1980. 4 December 1980, the Squadron moved to its new premises in Ganemulla. In 1981 the Commandos were employed in counter terrorist operations in Jaffna for the first time. It also performs special duties in the Presidential Security Division. To meet the operational requirements the Commando Regiment was expanded and a Commando Brigade was formed on the 18th of March 1997. A third regiment was formed August 1, 2007 with Maj Udith Bandara as officer commanding.

Organization

The units used 20 man teams which are split into four 4-8 man assault units. They have received training from Great Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...

, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...

 and Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...

. Approximately 40 per cent of the Regiments are airborne
Airborne forces
Airborne forces are military units, usually light infantry, set up to be moved by aircraft and 'dropped' into battle. Thus they can be placed behind enemy lines, and have an ability to deploy almost anywhere with little warning...

 qualified. The three Commando Regiments and three Special Forces Regiments are grouped into an Independent Brigade under the command of a Brigadier
Brigadier
Brigadier is a senior military rank, the meaning of which is somewhat different in different military services. The brigadier rank is generally superior to the rank of colonel, and subordinate to major general....

. Approximately 95 percent of the two Commando Regiments are airborne qualified, either in Pakistan (training now discontinued), India or at the commando training school in Ganemulla
Ganemulla
Ganemulla is a mid size town situated in the Gampaha District of Sri Lanka. Ganemulla is about 9 km from Kadawatha on the Colombo-Kandy road. The nearest city to Ganemulla is Gampaha, which is about 5 km in distance...

. It may operate in conjunction with the Special Boat Squadron of the Sri Lanka Navy, although this has not been confirmed. The Commando Regiment has only 4 Regular Units.

Function

Current CR roles are believed to include:
  • Protection of senior Sri Lankan dignitaries, military officers and VVIPs.
  • Intelligence
    Intelligence (information gathering)
    Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...

     collection in the deep and medium battlespace.
  • Battlespace preparation by sabotage and offensive raiding in the medium battlespace.
  • Anti–hijack and counter-terrorism
    Counter-terrorism
    Counter-terrorism is the practices, tactics, techniques, and strategies that governments, militaries, police departments and corporations adopt to prevent or in response to terrorist threats and/or acts, both real and imputed.The tactic of terrorism is available to insurgents and governments...

     operations inside Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka
    Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka is a country off the southern coast of the Indian subcontinent. Known until 1972 as Ceylon , Sri Lanka is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the...

     territory in conjunction with police
    Police
    The police is a personification of the state designated to put in practice the enforced law, protect property and reduce civil disorder in civilian matters. Their powers include the legitimized use of force...

     forces.
  • Hostage rescue-related operations.

Units

Regular Army


Operation Thoppigala

The 3rd Commando Regiment participated in the military offensive which was launched to capture the Thoppigala (Baron's cap) from LTTE
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam was a separatist militant organization formerly based in northern Sri Lanka. Founded in May 1976 by Vellupillai Prabhakaran, it waged a violent secessionist and nationalist campaign to create an independent state in the north and east of Sri Lanka for Tamil...

 during the period of June/July 2007. They managed to seize the rocky plateau which had been named by the LTTE as Tora Bora. Around 200 LTTE cadres were killed during the entire offensive.

Reconnaissance missions

  • Periyamadu rescue (November 22, 2001): An eight man reconnaissance team was surrounded by the LTTE at Periyamadu, Vanni region 20 km inside the enemy lines after an anti-personnel mine blast which injured one of them. The trapped team was rescued by the Helicopter Squadron deployed from the Hingurakgoda Air Force base.

Notable members

  • Major General
    Major General
    Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

     Janaka Perera
    Janaka Perera
    Major General Janaka Perera, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, VSP, rcds, psc, CR was a Sri Lankan General and politician. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and is considered one of the most distinguished generals in Sri Lankan history. After retiring from the army he served as a Sri Lankan...

     RWP, RSP
    RSP
    -Music:* RSP , a Japanese hip-hop and R&B group* Rubber Soul Project, a Serbian rock music band-Computers and technology:* Remote Serial Port, an extension to the Telnet protocol* Reality signal processor, a component of the Nintendo 64...

    , VSP
    VSP
    VSP is a three letter acronym for:*Vehicle Sound for Pedestrians, a noise warning system for electric vehicles developed by Nissan*Vertical seismic profile *V. S...

    , USP
    Uttama Seva Padakkama
    The Uttama Seva Padakkama is presented to all ranks of the Regular Forces of the Sri Lankan military for valuable service and dedication to duty with the outstanding ability, merit and excellent conduct, given that they count not less than 15 years continuous and uninterrupted service and possess...

    , rcds, psc, CR - former Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, a Leader of Operation "Riviresa
    Operation Riviresa
    Operation Riviresa , was a combined military operation launched by the Sri Lankan Armed Forces in Jaffna. Starting on the 17 October 1995, the primary objective of the operation was the capture of the town of Jaffna and rest of the Jaffna peninsula from the LTTE...

    ", former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia & Ambassador to Indonesia
  • Major General
    Major General
    Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...

     Percy Fernando
    Percy Fernando
    Major General Percy Fernando, RWP, RSP, psc, CR was a Sri Lankan Army officer, who was the Deputy GOC, 54 Division based at Elephant Pass and prior to which he was the brigade commander of the independent Special Forces Brigade....

     RWP, RSP
    RSP
    -Music:* RSP , a Japanese hip-hop and R&B group* Rubber Soul Project, a Serbian rock music band-Computers and technology:* Remote Serial Port, an extension to the Telnet protocol* Reality signal processor, a component of the Nintendo 64...

    , psc, CR - former Deputy commanding officer of 54th Division
  • Major
    Major
    Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

     M.D. Manjula Sarathchandra, CR - attached to Commando 2 Regiment killed during the "Operation Jayasikurui" July 1997.
  • Major G. S. Jayanath , CR - attached to Commando Regiment, was awarded the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
    Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
    Parama Weera Vibhushanaya , is the highest Sri Lankan military decoration equivalent to the British Victoria Cross , or the United States Medal of Honor, that's awarded as a reward for all ranks of the tri services individual acts of gallantry...

     posthumously for his bravery and heroism.
  • Capton C.M Daniels, CR - attached to Commando 1 Regiment killed during a LRRP mission deep in the Eastern jungles in October 1995.

See also

  • Military of Sri Lanka
  • Sri Lanka Army
  • Military ranks and insignia of the Sri Lanka Army
    Military ranks and insignia of the Sri Lanka Army
    The following tables present the military ranks and insignia of the Sri Lanka Army. These ranks generally correspond with those of Western or Commonwealth Nations militaries, and reflect those of the British Warrant Officer, Non Commissioned Officer and enlisted ranks and the Commissioned officer...

  • Sri Lanka Army Special Forces Regiment
    Sri Lanka Army Special Forces Regiment
    The Sri Lanka Army Special Forces Regiment is the elite special forces unit of the Sri Lanka Army. This Regiment is specialized in hard-hitting shock action. The Special Forces Regiment has the distinction of taking part in almost all major offensives conducted by the Army since 1986. Their motto...

  • Special Boat Squadron
    Special Boat Squadron
    The Special Boat Squadron is the Sri Lanka Navy's elite special forces unit. It forms part of the Sri Lanka Special Forces, alongside the Commando Regiment , Special Forces Regiment, and SLAF Special Forces...

  • Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment Special Force
    Sri Lanka Air Force Regiment Special Force
    Regiment Special Force is an elite Special Forces unit of the Sri Lanka Air Force, part of the SLAF Regiment. This was formerly Air Base Defence Rescue Squadron established on 7 July 2003...

  • Sri Lankan Civil War
    Sri Lankan civil war
    The Sri Lankan Civil War was a conflict fought on the island of Sri Lanka. Beginning on July 23, 1983, there was an on-and-off insurgency against the government by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam , a separatist militant organization which fought to create an independent Tamil state named Tamil...

  • Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (Sri Lanka)
    Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol (Sri Lanka)
    The Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol is a covert operation unit of the Sri Lanka Army. This unit is also known as the Deep Penetration Unit of the Sri Lanka Army and also as the Mahasohon Brigade...


Further reading

  • The Perfect Soldier: Special Operations, Commandos, and the Future of U.S. Warfare by James F. Dunnigan
  • Sri Lanka Army, 50 YEARS ON - 1949-1999, (1st Edition)

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
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