Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force


The Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force is the principal and volunteer reserve force component of the Sri Lanka Army. It is a collective name for the reserve units and the Sri Lanka National Guard. The SLAVF is made up of part-time officers and soldiers. They are paid at a similar rate, while engaged on military activities, as their regular equivalents. This is in contrast to the Regular Army Reserve, which comprises people who have a mobilization obligation following their service in the regular army. Administration and recruitment of reserve personal is carried out by the Volunteer Force Headquarters in Shalawa, Kosgama. The head of the SLAVF is the Commandant of the Volunteer Force.

History

The SLAVF was founded in 1861 when the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers were created.

Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers

The second phase in the employment of non-British military personnel commenced in 1861 after an ordinance authorized the creation of Volunteer Corps. This move addressed the disbanding of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment in 1874. The Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was originally administered as a single unit. However over the years various sections of the volunteers grew large enough to become independent. The different units that emerged from the Volunteer Force were:
In 1910 the name of the military was changed to the Ceylon Defence Force. It continued to grow throughout the early 20th century. The CDF saw active service when a contingent of the Ceylon Mounted Infantry in 1900, and a contingent of Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps in 1902, took part in the Second Boer War in South Africa. Their services were recognized by presentation, in 1902, of a color to the CMI, and a presentation in 1904, of a Banner to the CPRC. In 1922, the CDF was honored by the presentation of the King's and Regimental colors to the Ceylon Light Infantry.
During the First World War, many volunteers from the Defence Force traveled to England and joined the British Army, and many were killed in action. One of them mentioned by Arthur Conan Doyle was Private Jacotine of the CLI, who was the last man left alive in his unit at the Battle of Lys, and who fought for 20 minutes before he was killed.
In 1939, the CDF was mobilized and an enormous expansion took place that required raising new units such as the Post and Telegraph Signals, the Ceylon Railway Engineer Corps, the Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Corps, the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the Ceylon Corps of Military Police, the Ceylon Signals Corps and the Colombo Town Guard Unit, which had been previously disbanded, but was re-formed to meet military requirements. During the Second World War Britain assumed direct control over the Armed Forces of Ceylon.

Ceylon Volunteer Force

Following the formation of the Army in 1949, the CDF became the nucleus of the Ceylon Army and all volunteer units of the CDF—which was the majority—became the Ceylon Volunteer Force. Many Second World War veterans were serving in the CVF at the time and in the post-Independence years, the CVF played an important role while a new regular army was forming. During this time the CVF was mobilized repeatedly to counter riots and strikes.

1962 attempted military coup

In 1962, senior officers CVF were implicated in a failed attempted coup. The government arrested and prosecuted the Commandant, Deputy Commandant, four volunteer battalion commanding officers and junior officers including the staff officer, CVF HQ. As a result, the volunteer force was scaled down with number of units disbanded.

Counter-insurgency operations

In 1971, the volunteer units were called up with the start of the 1971 Insurrection undertaking counter-insurgency operations. With the start of the Sri Lankan Civil War, the volunteer force expanded along with the regular force and since 1993 remained mobilized throughout the war and after. The volunteer force prove to be a means of recruiting officers and other ranks that could not be otherwise be recruited into the regular force, due to age and qualification restrictions. Volunteer units played a vital role in Sri Lankan civil war in battles such as the Weli Oya, Kokavil and in the 1987–1989 JVP insurrection sustaining many casualties.

Cadet Corps

Since the formation of the first cadet platoon with students of the Royal College, Colombo which was attached to the Ceylon Light Infantry, the Cadet Battalion came under the Ceylon Defence Force. From 1949 the Ceylon Cadet Corps with its cadet battalions came under the Volunteer Force until 1988 when the National Cadet Corps was formed as a separate entity under the provisions of the Mobilization and Supplementary Forces Act, No. 40 of 1985.

Current units

The SLAVF consists of about 50,000 volunteer combat officers and other ranks attached to various units and regiments of the Sri Lanka Army.
Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
Sri Lanka Artillery
Sri Lanka Engineers
Sri Lanka Signals Corps
Sri Lanka Light Infantry
Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
Gemunu Watch
Gajaba Regiment
Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
Engineer Services Regiment
Sri Lanka Army Service Corps
Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps
Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps
Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps
Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
Sri Lanka Rifle Corps
Sri Lanka National Guard
Volunteer Force Training School

Former units

SLAVF focuses on basic training for commissioned officers and other ranks, which is shorter in duration to the counter parts in the regular force and followed up with annual refresher training camps. Potential officers are mostly recruited between the ages of 18 and 26 years as officers cadets, who follow the Volunteer Commissioning Course at the Sri Lanka Military Academy. The Volunteer Force Training School conducts shorted commissioning courses for direct entry and commissioning from other ranks selected as probationary officer. With the exception of commissioning from other ranks, all potential volunteer officers need to be processionals, employed as executive grades in public/private sector or have an private income of Rs.500,000 per year. Recruit training for other ranks takes place at regimental training battalions and units. VFTS conducts advance training programs such as staff and command courses for junior and senior volunteer officers.

Awards and decorations

Three former members of the volunteer force have been awarded the honorary rank of a General of the Volunteer Force of the Army.