In a significant step toward enhancing bilateral defense cooperation, Lieutenant General BKGM Lasantha Rodrigo, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, met with Lieutenant General NS Raja Subramani, Vice Chief of the Army Staff of India, in New Delhi today. The high-level meeting focused on deepening military-to-military engagement and reinforcing a shared commitment to regional security and global peace.
The discussions centered on strengthening defense ties rooted in historical cooperation, notably the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord, which marked India’s military involvement in the Sri Lankan Civil War through the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF). Despite the IPKF’s heavy toll—with over 1,200 Indian soldiers lost—the experience significantly shaped India’s counterinsurgency strategies and continues to influence its regional military posture.
Lieutenant General Rodrigo’s visit also included a briefing on OPERATION SINDOOR, a recent precision strike by Indian Armed Forces targeting terrorist infrastructure. The operation reflects India’s assertive stance on counter-terrorism and aligns with the broader goals of the Information Fusion Centre–Indian Ocean Region (IFC-IOR), which promotes maritime intelligence sharing with partner nations, including Sri Lanka, to combat piracy and check China’s expanding naval influence.
The visit featured ceremonial elements as well, including a Guard of Honour at South Block and a wreath-laying ceremony at the National War Memorial, symbolizing respect for fallen soldiers and the enduring defense partnership between the two countries.
In parallel, conversations are intensifying in India around preserving military heritage, with calls to restore iconic wartime imagery from the 1971 India-Pakistan War. That historic victory, which led to the creation of Bangladesh, remains central to India’s military legacy and is increasingly seen as a source of inspiration for contemporary strategic thinking.
