25th August 2016 19:17:06 Hours
Sri Lanka Army’s novel Field Training Exercise (FTX), the 'Exercise - Cormorant Strike VII - 2016' for the 7th consecutive year, will be launched from Kokilai in the East with the participation of a record 3458 troops, inclusive of the Army, Navy, Air Force and a record 49 foreign participants and observers.
A Press Conference, headed by Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Director, Exercise ‘Cormorant Strike’ at the Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (SLEME) Headquarters in Colombo 2 was told that all arrangements have now been in place to kick off the Exercise proper.
Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe, Director, Exercise ‘Cormorant Strike’, Major General K. J Alwis, Commandant, Army Training Command (ARTRAC), Major General B. A Perera, Director General General Staff, Major General Aruna Jayasekara, Director General Training, Air Vice Marshal Sumangala Dias, Director Air Operations, Captain Akram Alavi, Navy Media Coordinator, Brigadier Jayanath Jayaweera, Director Media, Colonel D.M.U.D Bandara, Commander, Commando Brigade and Lieutenant Colonel M.P.K.L Amarasinghe, Commandant Special Forces Jungle Warfare Training School addressed the Press Conference.
2500 infantrymen, including largely the Commandos and Special Forces of the Army, 638 sailors and 506 airmen, together with those foreign participants from Bangladesh, China, India, Japan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and the USA, would join the mega Exercise beginning from Kokilai after a comprehensive preparatory meeting at the Operational Headquarters at Minneriya on September 3, 2016. The Exercise will terminate on September 25 with a mammoth display on the previous day, prior to the closing ceremony.
The 'Exercise - Cormorant Strike VII - 2016' planned and executed by a panel of Exercise Directors with the coordination of Directorate of Training is commanded by Major General Sudantha Ranasinghe as Exercise Director. Brigadier Ralf Nugera, Brigadier Pradeep Silva and Brigadier Priyantha Perera act as Deputy Directors of the Exercise while Colonel Nishantha Herath is the Deputy Director Additional of the Exercise.
Final touches to the entire project were prepared on the directions of Major General Jagath Alwis, Commander, Army Training Command (ARTRAC).
The Exercise, covering South of Kokilai and North of Panama in the Security Force Headquarters - East (SFHQ-E) and a minor portion of the Security Force Headquarters - Wanni (SFHQ-W) areas is to be coupled with simultaneous mock seaborne and airborne operations and is slated to further promote special operation capabilities and maintain combat readiness at all levels with a view to transmitting and sharing the sea of experiences the Sri Lanka Army, has had gathered in the world's biggest and most successful humanitarian operation before May 2009.
The Exercise at its final stages expects to join with Army troops for direct onslaughts against enemy strongholds. This Army-initiated mock Field Training Exercise (FTX), organized and implemented in close cooperation with Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force has been designed for deployment of their troops in a war milieu of Special Operations at any given moment and planned for conduct of joint operations as one team, using manoeuvrist approach, encompassing planning, execution and command.
It also focuses on comprehensive planning, preparations, formulations, coordination, command, control, tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP) and execution of Special Operations, etc within given frameworks.
Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Commander of the Army, contributing his views to the initial preparatory phases of the Exercise, maintained that the Sri Lanka Army, having defeated the world's most ruthless terrorist outfit, should sustain the status quo in relation to national security concerns and be always well-geared to take on any future challenge against the country or her people, as the most prominent defender of the nation.
Captain H. R. F. M. Tissera, Joint Force Naval Component Commander - Exercise ‘Cormorant Strike’ and Air Commodore P. D. K. T Jayasinghe, Joint Force Air Component Commander - Exercise ‘Cormorant Strike’ are the coordinators for Navy and Air Force troops.
Based on hypothetical scenario and focused on achieving training objectives, this year’s Exercise will train the participants on Patrolling, Infiltration, / Ex-filtration, Reconnaissance and Surveillance, Combat Tracking, Link-up, Caches, Demolitions, Raids, Ambushes, Cut-off and Blocks, Rescue Missions, Cat Sniping, Urban Fighting and Disaster Relief Missions.
The Exercise starting from the South of Kokilai and North of Panama has succeeded this year in attracting more foreign participants from foreign nations. The Exercise will terminate on September 25, 2016 with a display on the previous day (Sept 24) at Arisimalai, Yanoya.
‘Exercise - Cormorant Strike VII’ Launched in Kokilai
‘Exercise - Cormorant Strike’ Opens Sky for Para Jumps
Mock Raids on Safe Houses & Air Mobile Attacks Dominate Ongoing Exercise ‘Cormorant Strike’
Exercise Director Inspects Preparedness in Final Attack
Commandos Display Their ‘Hostage Rescue’ Skills
‘Exercise Cormorant Strike - VII’ Certificate Awarding Ceremony Takes Place at ITC Minneriya
