What Sri Lanka should be ashamed of is sending its women to drudgery overseas, and not sending its men to fight, defend and earn

Last week, three ex-Sri Lankan military personnel were killed in a Russian attack while serving with the Ukrainian Foreign Legion. The trio were undertaking a rescue operation ahead of the forward defence line when they came under repeated Russian drone attacks.
The deceased, Captain Ranish Hewage, a former Lieutenant of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry, was the Commanding Officer of the First Special Forces of the Ukrainian Foreign League.   The other two: M.M. Priyantha is a former petty officer of the Sri Lanka Navy, and Rodney Jayasinghe is formerly from the Singha Regiment.

After the incident, Foreign Minister Ali Sabry said, the government had earlier curbed efforts by local agents to recruit ex-military personnel to fight in Ukraine, but insisted that the government had no control over individuals leaving the country to fight foreign wars.
Meanwhile, Daily Mirror quoted a military officer saying another 70 Sri Lankans have applied to join the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, which is taking applications on its website. The Ukrainian Foreign Legion is said to be paying US$ 600 per month for serving behind the frontline, $1,200 per month for service in a dangerous zone, and $3,300 a month for combat deployment. The service contract is for three years.

Known as the International Legion of Territorial Defence of Ukraine, it was set up in February 2022 by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. It is said to have 30,000 foreign nationals, though a New York Times investigation revealed the real number could be 1500.
If more Sri Lankans opt to go to Ukraine, their presence would be amplified by the modest size of the foreign legion. That may provoke Moscow and strain bilateral relations - though Russia has not yet formally protested.

Peculiar Sri Lankan ‘Strength’

The tragedy in Bakhmut reveals a peculiar strength of Sri Lanka that a forward-looking government should have capitalized on.
Three decades of war has left us with a battle-hardened professional military that prevailed over one of the most ruthless terrorist groups. Not many militaries, even better-equipped ones, have that extent of experience. Rather than putting that expertise into optimum use, the Rajapaksas deployed a bloated peacetime army to clean drainages and grow vegetables! Now, the current administration is on a mission to downsize the military: the Army is expected to be reduced by one-third to 135,000 by next year. Similar reductions are expected in the other arms of the military. That is the right strategy, for despite being a mass army, Sri Lankan forces lack modern equipment. Albeit much hullabaloo over military expenditure, Sri Lanka spends less than the South Asian and other global regions on average. Therefore, saving money by cutting corners on military spending might set-off a dangerous pre-1980 habit. Military modernization should begin alongside the rightsizing of the military. The formation of the First Corps in Kilinochchi may be a step forward.

In the meantime, most military personnel who would leave the service this year, and many who did in the past several years, would join a stagnant labour market. The basic training of a soldier costs hundreds of thousands of rupees, and for officers, it costs millions, whilst specialized training costs even more. The government should do justice to this investment.That would not be possible if the professional integration of delisted personnel is nothing more than as security guards and Juki machine operators. 
Their experience and expertise are much sought after, not just in the conflict zones. An industrious government should seek to cater to that market.

Why Not The Govt Set Up A PMC?

The Ministry of Defence should consider setting up a state-owned Private Military Company that could provide gainful employment to military personnel duly discharged from the service. It should search for opportunities abroad. There are plenty, not necessarily in combat duties, more so in force protection of critical assets, from oil pipelines to high-net individuals. Even the networking by already deployed ex-military personnel could bring in enough opportunities. 
For a country that so unrepentantly exports its women to work as housemaids in the Gulf, sending its ex-military men to work as private military contractors is a lot more honourable and desirable.

Instead, shortsighted governments have previously sought to curb the budding PMCs. For instance, Avant Garde employed hundreds of ex-military personnel with above-industry salaries when targeted by the Yahapalanaya government with trumped-up charges, though the real beef of the government was over its founder’s close relationship with Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
If anything, the government should curb sending unskilled labour and housemaids for low-wage grunt work in the Middle East but instend train them in 
worthy vocations.
Sri Lankan military personnel are well-recognised for their battlefield experience. With the ranks and file that left the service this year alone, Sri Lanka can form a PMC that could rival Wagners in its military acumen. 

Private Military Contractors are not necessarily private, nor are they private armies, as erroneously described. From Blackwater to Wagner, they are state-trained, bound by state laws and undertake state missions. Also, one overblown complaint about PMCs is about militarization. Such concerns were also raised over the armed forces’ demobilization at the war’s end. Yet, there was no noticeable increase in violence after 2009. Instead, Sri Lanka has a real problem with drugs, the trade of which is undertaken by well-identified kingpins and underworld groups, which a proactive government could have tackled with a nominal effort. 

Nowadays, every Tom, Dick and Harry highlights the importance of bringing in foreign revenue to the country. PMCs could well be one way of doing so. During the Vietnam War, South Korea sent several divisions to aid the American forces. The remittance received as their salaries and the reimbursement of associated costs accounted for 40 per cent of South Korea’s export earnings during the nine years of South Korean troop deployment in Vietnam.
The post-war Sri Lankan military has undertaken many economic activities, from hotels to farms, which lack an economic rationale. Instead, it should consider putting its most sought-after asset, soldiers, to best use. Serving soldiers cannot be deployed in PMCs, but hiring those leaving the service not only creates gainful opportunities but also enhances the yield of the initial investment the military made on its ranks and file.

For a start, the scope of Rakna Arakshaka Lanka (RAAL), the state-owned security company, could be expanded to include overseas assignments. Instead of combat duties, Sri Lanka can focus on force protection of critical infrastructures, civilian institutions and VIPs. 
The government should also streamline the regulations governing PMCs and provide clarity on the nature of services and missions that are warranted.
What Sri Lanka should be ashamed of is sending its women to drudgery overseas, and not sending its men to fight, defend and earn.

Follow @RangaJayasuriya on X