Who Cares about National Security?

Dilrook Kannangara

I am an ardent patriot and I dare say that most Sri Lankans are patriots. And this is not the time for bickering over who committed the grave crime of letting terrorists attack the air base. But this is another eye-opener to the impending disaster that awaits our nation. In this context we should demand from our defence Minster answers to the question: who cares about national security?

Although the government cites national security as the reason for media clamp down, media blackouts, colossal investment in weapons, resultant rise in cost of living, etc they don’t seem to be least concerned with it. There are many why s that will remain unanswered.

1. If not for the terrorists to whom the consignment of light (Cessna) aircraft parts were intended to by T Maheswaran, UNP MP?
2. How many times local and foreign defence authorities claimed LTTE’s air capabilities?
3. Why don’t we have dedicated airborne surveillance systems?
4. Why didn’t the detection system catch the on-coming terror planes?
5. Why were the planes allowed to flee after the raid?
6. Why did it take 17 hours after the Katunayake incident on the 26th for the SLAF to bomb Mannar, the location suspected of hiding LTTE air assets?
7. Why didn’t any Minister of the huge Cabinet or the Chief Commanding Officer of the armed forces take responsibility for the carnage?
8. Why blame the CFA, UNP, etc. knowing too well that these are nothing but LTTE offspring?
9. Why let down the tourism, airline, FDI and other industries by continued inaction?
10. Why are we still waiting to start the extermination of the LTTE?

These will remain unanswered not because answering them will jeopardise national security, but rather because nobody in the government cares about national security as much as we care.

It should be pointed out that the most apt justification of the colossal amount of taxpayers’ money wasted on MiGs, Kfirs and other defence equipment is to put the damn thing to productive use. Contrast this with LTTE’s aerial capability acquired without burdening their people’s economy and amidst so many hardships, obstacles and calamities created mostly by the Sri Lankan government. I have the heartbeat of any patriot and I feel the shame; it is a shame that our leaders aren’t ashamed of their shameful incompetency!!

The government should start exterminating terrorists NOW (before more terror attacks) if they care about national security.

In the same token we should also recognise the capabilities of our forces to wipe out terrorists. In fact this is the fact that directed the LTTE to our air base. From a strategic point of view, the LTTE has given away their biggest fear, their biggest ambition and their most feeble vulnerability.

Parabakaran hasn’t wasted time with Sea Tigers or any other operational level cadres (exclude suicide bombers) other than with his ‘airmen’. This clearly implies the immense importance LTTE has placed on aerial capabilities.

Terrorist spokesman justified the attacks as an act of pre-emption to safeguard them from SLAF ‘genocide’. Although there is no genocide, tigers have suffered very heavy casualties. This is LTTE’s biggest weakpoint and we should exploit it.

LTTE endeavours to maintain and develop their aerial assets. However, all odds are against them. In order to maintain a fleet of planes, there got to be a constant supply of spares, fuel, bombs, airmen, engineering skills and facilities, protected enclaves, reasonably good airstrips, control towers, etc. It is highly unlikely that the LTTE can procure on an ongoing basis these resources and sustain the required peripheries and infrastructure. One Kfir, MiG or Mi-24 mission will mark the burial of the LTTE dream.

Air superiority has no room for intermediaries. Yes, the winner takes it all. The only concession the LTTE has is its ability to conceal its air assets, airstrips and other facilities. However, it is much more difficult than hiding Parabakaran. Very simple surveillance techniques can reveal all these and the SLAF will gleefully ravish them, repeatedly if required. A classic example is the Gulf war in 1991 and Iraq war in 2003. Although Iraq had such deadly jets including MiG-29, Su-24, etc. coalition forces had the upperhand and the rest is history. There are no unknown airfields, airforce bases or airports in the world; they survive thanks to diplomacy, legality and superiority over their skies. The LTTE has asked for trouble and has stood in the line of fire.

Destroying LTTE air assets provide a good justification for future SLAF bombardments. In 1991 and 2003 USAF attacked many targets in Iraq that harboured (or had reasonable grounds to believe so) Iraqi planes. It is no witchhunt to target terror air assets as they pose a huge threat to the civilised world. Well, the LTTE asked for it.

The direction SL forces should take is clear. Increased air power will definitely give us the edge in the war. Heavier bombers, laser guided bombs, cluster/fuel and bunker-buster bombs can replace heavy army casualties. This is an arms race that only the legitimate competitor can win. This is the first serious strategic mistake committed by the LTTE after 1991 Ghandi bombing. Although Ghandi killing attracted no punishment, the latest LTTE mistake will hopefully attract a lot of misery and destruction on the LTTE.

However, there is a huge gap between what we (the Sri Lankan voters) vote for and what we get. Even a Cabinet of hundreds of Ministers (and their assistants, perks, aids, etc, etc.) cannot fill this gap. So once again we are left to handle the problem of politics. National security has become a political football aimlessly kicked around sparing the goal.

This beggar’s wound will remain untreated till god knows when. Already the wound is infected and the beggar has got lockjaw and dying; but miraculously there is a cure. We urge the government to use the hard medicine NOW and use it against all vile agents.