China, India to take part in Sri Lanka military exercise

China and India will take part in the joint military exercise ?Cormorant Strike VI – 2015?, together with?more than 2000 tri-service personnel and representative military officers from foreign countries.

Major General Jagath Dias, Chief of Staff said that the mock Field Training Exercise (FTX) focused on the employment of Special Operations Forces (SOF) in order to provide basis to launch ground operations will commence from Pulmudai to North of Arugam Bay on Thursday.

He said that 2500 Infantry, Commando and Special Forces troops representing Sri Lanka Army, 245 Navy personnel, 140 sailors from Sri Lanka Air Force and 53 foreign participants and observers are expected to participate in this year?s Exercise ?Cormorant Strike VI – 2015?.

Military officers from Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Pakistan and USA have already confirmed their participation in the Exercise.

?The Exercise with Army Commando (CR) Regiment and Special Forces (SF) Regiment troops, integrated with Navy and Air Force Special Forces, aims to enhance special operation capabilities and maintain combat readiness at all levels,? Major General Jagath Dias said.

Covering a vast patch of island?s jungle areas, coupled with simultaneous mock seaborne and airborne operations, the Exercise in its final stages expects to join with Army troops.

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 planning, preparations, formulations, coordination, command, control, tactics, techniques and procedures (TTP), execution of Special Operations within given frameworks and is organized by the Directorate of Training at the Army Headquarters.