The Situation Report

23rd August 1998

Daluwatte as GOC ready for new task

By Iqbal Athas

Lt. General Daluwatte: joint action

From a cluster of buildings inside the Army Headquarters, the newly set up Joint Operations Command (JOC), the unified security forces and Police authority, to collectively plan and execute counter terrorist operations is now slowly taking shape.

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As exclusively reported in last week's The Sunday Times, the JOC has been set up under President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, who is also Commander-in-chief, with effect from August 3.

The first phase in the formation of the JOC, now under way, encompasses the co-option of the Director, Operations of the Army, Navy and Air Force under its umbrella. They will function directly under Lt. Gen. Rohan de S. Daluwatte, who has already been named as General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the JOC. In addition, those handling and directing operations in the Police, particularly its commando arm, the Special Task Force (STF), is also to be co-opted.

Lt. Gen. Daluwatte is functioning as GOC of the Joint Operations Command (JOC) in addition to his duties as the Army Commander. Defence sources explained that he will hold dual positions only until the JOC becomes fully operational. According to present expectations, they say, it would happen by October or November, this year, by which time Lt. Gen. Daluwatte, is expected to relinquish office as Army Commander but continue as GOC.

The same sources said that the full functioning of the JOC will also see the demise of the present Vavuniya based Joint Operations Headquarters which is currently co-ordinating counter terrorist operations. Consequently the post of Overall Operations Commander (OOC) is also expected to cease with the likely creation of a post of Director General of Military Operations.

The news of the creation of a Joint Operations Command (JOC), which came amidst highly publicised reports that the Government planned to set up a Joint Services Command headed by a Joint Chief of Staff, caused a flutter in the defence establishment. The matter, The Sunday Times learns, figured even at this week's National Security Council.

Another significant feature of the setting up of a Joint Operations Command is the fact that all future military procurements are to be channelled through it. This will mean that powers vested in the Commanders of the Army, Navy, Air Force and the Police chief to procure military hardware for counter terrorist operations will have to receive the final approval of the JOC, which reports directly to President Kumaratunga.

The subject of procurements has become a long drawn controversy in the past years with allegations of large scale kickbacks by those in uniform and outside it. The Government believes that centralising the matter would ensure close monitoring of procurements. It also believes that the move will ensure only military equipment required for the varied tasks are imported.

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The visit comes in the backdrop of plans now under way for a major military offensive to re-capture the strategic Mankulam junction in the ongoing "Operation Jaya Sikurui" (or Victory Assured). Government leaders have vowed to complete the ongoing operation, now on its sixteenth month, by November, this year and establish a main supply route to Jaffna.

Since its launch on May 13, 1997, the operation has created history with the largest casualty toll since in the 16 year long separatist war. According to statistics now available,

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A third of the wounded are said to be left out of battle. This is in addition to the loss of military hardware during counter attacks. Over 1,500 LTTE cadres are also learnt to have been killed.

Reportage on details of some of the recent counter attacks on security forces defences have not emerged in view of the strict censorship now prevailing both on local and foreign media.

This censorship has been further tightened on August 17, with a ban on any news relating to the transfer of officers within the Government security' forces high command.

The Defence Ministry argued that such information could be used by the LTTE in devising their own military strategy.

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