Sri Lanka’s current government has moved to abolish the country’s Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) position, publishing draft legislation to repeal the Chief of Defence Staff Act No. 35 of 2009, which was introduced shortly after the end of the armed conflict.
The proposed legislation, titled the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Act, 2026, was published through an extraordinary gazette notification issued on 15 May following Cabinet approval earlier this year.
According to the draft bill, the office of the Chief of Defence Staff will cease to exist once the legislation comes into operation. The serving officer holding the post will then be reassigned to their respective branch of the armed forces.
The bill also states that all movable and immovable assets currently under the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff will be transferred to Sri Lanka’s Ministry of Defence.
The CDS role was originally established in the aftermath of the 2009 Mullivaikkal genocide and military defeat of the LTTE, with the intention of coordinating operations between the Sri Lankan Army, Navy and Air Force during the post-war period. The office became a central part of Sri Lanka’s expanded military structure following the end of the armed conflict, as the state continued its extensive militarisation across the Tamil homeland.
The repeal follows a Cabinet decision announced in March, when the government stated that the position was no longer considered necessary under current circumstances. Cabinet spokesperson Nalinda Jayatissa previously said the Defence Ministry and the government viewed the post as “non-essential” in the present context.
The position has effectively remained vacant since the retirement of General Shavendra Silva at the end of 2024, with the government opting not to appoint a successor whilst proceeding with plans to repeal the legislation governing the office.
Shavendra Silva, who previously served as Sri Lanka’s Army Commander, was sanctioned by the United States over allegations of gross human rights violations connected to the final stages of the armed conflict. International human rights organisations and UN experts have repeatedly called for accountability over atrocities committed during the war, including indiscriminate shelling of civilian areas, attacks on hospitals and extrajudicial killings.
The repeal bill is expected to be presented to parliament for debate and approval in the coming weeks. With the ruling National People’s Power (NPP) government holding a two-thirds parliamentary majority, the legislation is widely expected to pass.
Opposition MP Namal Rajapaksa criticised the government’s decision, warning that abolishing the CDS office would weaken military coordination structures established after the war.
In a statement shared on X, Rajapaksa argued that modern national security systems “cannot function through isolated silos” and said removing the CDS position would undermine coordination between the tri-forces.
He further stated that Sri Lanka required “a centralized, overarching authority” to ensure seamless coordination between the Army, Navy and Air Force, warning that the country’s defence structure could become “fragmented and vulnerable”.
Rajapaksa added that the issue was “not about the individual in office” but about protecting the “structural integrity” of Sri Lanka’s defence framework.
He also described the timing of the repeal as “ironic”, noting that the bill was gazetted on 17 May, one day before Tamils commemorated Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day on 18 May.
Whilst the Sri Lankan state continues to celebrate the military defeat of the LTTE through “Victory Day” commemorations, Tamils worldwide mark the same period as a remembrance for the tens of thousands of Tamil civilians killed during the final stages of the armed conflict in Mullivaikkal.