MoD denies MoD letter
The Defence Ministry’s Media Centre has responded to last week’s report in these columns headlined “S 300, Buk 27 Missiles or Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles are being considered for SLAF.” Our story said the Government was negotiating with Russia to purchase these missiles.
The MoD statement says; “Please note that no such moves as alleged in the said report are being considered by the Sri Lanka Air Force. You are therefore requested to correct this position in your next issue as it could lead to misunderstanding, please.”
Jamis Banda adds: Very strange indeed!! The MoD’s left hand does not seem to know what its right hand is doing. It was on February 8, 2018 that the Defence Ministry Secretary wrote to the Russian Government giving a list of four different costly procurements Sri Lanka wishes to make.
Unless there is a change of plans, in fact, he is even to lead a delegation to Moscow in the first week of this month to discuss these matters and is to be accompanied by an Air Force official among others.
The fourth item on that letter is “To purchase a Qty of Radar Controlled Air Defence Guns and Missiles.” The S 300 and Buk 27 radar controlled missiles are the only two radar controlled versions manufactured in the Russian Federation. A more advanced type of these same missiles is highly expensive.
The Defence Secretary’s February 8, 2018 letter has also been copied to the Air Force Commander, the Director General of the E x t e r n a l Re s o u r c e s Division and the Chief Executive Officer of Lanka Logistics and Technologies Ltd.
Hence, it is pertinent to ask how a misunderstanding arises and over whom or what? It is a standard practice for the Ministry of Defence to procure what a service arm requires. In this instance, it is the SLAF. Both, the MoD and the SLAF should be aware of this, since the correspondence is available with them.
I have only referred to one item from the list of four sought to be procured. Hence, I will refrain from mentioning what the other three are for the moment. I might add that the cost of these items would far exceed US$ 135 million which the Government wanted to pay to procure a Russian- built Gepard 5.1 Offshore Patrol Vessel ( OPV) after renewing a credit line for US$ 300 million.
An agreement for this procurement is yet to be signed and it is not immediately clear whether the Defence Secretary would do so during his planned visit. This purchase did generate controversy as to who really is interested in these Russian arms, and what purpose they are for a country not at war.