Sri Lanka Marine Corps

Sri Lanka Marine Corps (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා මැරීන් බළකාය, romanized: śrī laṁkā mærīn baḷakāya) was formed in 2016 under the assistance of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit of the United States Marine Corps in November 2016 and received further training from the Commando Regiment of Sri Lanka Army.[1][2][3][4]

Sri Lanka Marine Corps
Marine Corps Boot Camp graduation at Sri Lankan Naval Station Barana in Mullikulum
Active2016
Country Sri Lanka
Branch Sri Lanka Navy
TypeMarines
Roleamphibious warfare
Garrison/HQSLNS Vidura
Websitemarine.navy.lk
Commanders
Commanding OfficerCdr K. P. N. G. Kariyawasam
Sri Lanka Navy
Components
History
Ships
Personnel

The first group consisting of 164 Marines including six officers and 158 sailors passed out on 27 February 2017 in Naval Base SLNS Barana in Mullikulam in a ceremony attended by the President Maithripala Sirisena, Commander of the Navy Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne alongside the tri-force Commanders and senior officers. On July 29, 2017, Vice Admiral Wijegunarathna declared open the new Marine Headquarters, SLNS Vidura in Sampoor, Trincomalee.[5][6]

History

Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne WV, RWP & Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI(M), ndc, psn former Chief of Defence Staff of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces.[7] and former Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy was the founder of Sri Lanka Marine Corps. In 2016, Vice Admiral Wijegunaratne was able to take part in the US Pacific Command Amphibious Leaders Symposium in San Diego, California. Here naval leaders discussed new trends in amphibious operations. The Sri Lankan commander had already envisioned establishing a Marine element to enhance naval operations and the conference was a springboard for the new mission.[8]

With the arrival of the amphibious transport dock USS Somerset (LPD-25) to Trincomalee, the men of the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit began an exchange of training for local sailors drawn from the Patrolman Branch. The rigorous training would test the sailors mentally and challenge them physically. Endurance training is a key element of a Marine.[8]

Vice Admiral Wijegunaratne in US Pacific Command Amphibious Leaders Symposium in San Diego, California.[8]

Training

The first group of Sri Lanka Marines received training from the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit of the United States Marine Corps in November 2016.[1][9] At the conclusion of this course, a group consisting of 1 officer and 40 marines received weapons handling, rappelling and battle obstacle crossing training at the Commando Regiment Training School, Uva Kudaoya.[4] The marines were also trained in the use of the M-16 assault rifle, which became their primary weapon. Emphasis was also placed on night time operating capability, combat medicine, life saving and underwater EOD (explosive ordinance disposal).[8]

Former Director Marines
  • Rear Admiral U. I. Serasinghe WWV, RSP, USP, psc
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References
  1. "US Marines train recently formed SLN Marine Corps". Archived from the original on 2016-11-23. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
  2. "Sri Lanka Navy and US Marine Corps personnel engage in a series of training exercises". Archived from the original on 2016-11-28.
  3. "First ever Marines of Sri Lanka Navy pass out in Mullikulam". Archived from the original on 2017-02-28. Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  4. "Marine Navy - Sri Lanka". marine.navy.lk. Archived from the original on 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  5. "The official website of Sri Lanka Navy". news.navy.lk. Archived from the original on 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  6. "Marine Navy - Sri Lanka". marine.navy.lk. Archived from the original on 2018-08-13. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
  7. "Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne appointed new Chief of Defence Staff". Daily News Sri Lanka. Daily News Sri Lanka. Retrieved 18 August 2017.
  8. "Navy enhances amphibious capability : Inside the Navy Marine Battalion". Sunday Observer. 2017-03-17. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
  9. "Newly formed Sri Lankan Marine Corps gets 241 years of experience in under a week". United States Marine Corps Flagship. Retrieved 2020-07-18.
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