| Agency Name: | Ministry of Defence |
| Seal: | Emblem_of_Sri_Lanka.svg |
| Preceding1: | Ministry of External Affairs and Defence |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Sri Lanka |
| Headquarters: | Defence Headquarters Complex |
| Coordinates: | 6.9297°N 79.8449°W |
| Budget: | US$ 1.45 billion (2023) [1] (12% of GDP) |
| Minister1 Name: | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister of Defence |
| Chief1 Name: | General Kamal Gunaratne |
| Chief1 Position: | Ministry Secretary |
| Child1 Agency: | Office of the Chief of Defence Staff |
| Child2 Agency: | Civil Security Department |
| Child3 Agency: | Sri Lanka Coast Guard |
| Child4 Agency: | Defence Services Command and Staff College |
| Child5 Agency: | General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University |
| Child6 Agency: | Defence Services School |
| Child7 Agency: | National Cadet Corps |
| Child8 Agency: | Rakna Arakshaka Lanka |
The Ministry of Defence (Sinhala: රාජ්ය ආරක්ෂක අමාත්යාංශය Rājya ārakshaka amāthyanshaya; Tamil: பாதுகாப்பு அமைச்சகம்) is the cabinet ministry of the Government of Sri Lanka responsible for implementation of government defence policy and acts as the overall headquarters of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.
The Ministry of Defence states that its principal objectives are the formulation, co-ordination and the execution of policies in relation to the national security. With the end of the Cold War, the MOD does not foresee any short-term conventional military threat, the main threat to Sri Lanka having been the now-defunct organization, the LTTE and Islamic Terrorism. The Ministry of Defence also manages day-to-day running of the armed forces, contingency planning and defence procurement.
The National Security Council of Sri Lanka is the executive body of the Sri Lankan government that is charged with the maintenance of national security with authority to direct the Sri Lankan military and Police. The Minister of Defence and the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence and the Chief of the Defence Staff are permanent members of the National Security Council.
With Ceylon gaining independence in 1948, the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence was formed to administer the country's armed forces and formulate defence and foreign policy. The Prime Minister was also the Minister of Defence and External Affairs, and was supported by a Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and External Affairs who was a member of Parliament.
In 1977, J.R Jayawardena's government adapted two separate ministries, forming the Ministry of Defence and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were formed. Since then many presidents retained the portfolio of Minister of Defence under him/her self, except for a few brief periods. In 1999 the National Security Council was established removing the direct control the military from the deputy Minister of Defence.
In 2011, the ministry was renamed Ministry of Defence and Urban Development.[2]
| Year | Appropriated endowment (billions of Rs) | Supplementary funding (billions of Rs) | Cumulative expenditure (billions of Rs) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948 | – | – | ||
| 1988 | 5 | – | 5 | |
| 1989 | 4 | – | 9 | |
| 1990 | 7 | – | 16 | |
| 1991 | 11 | – | 27 | |
| 1992 | 14 | – | 41 | |
| 1993 | 17 | – | 58 | |
| 1994 | 21 | – | 79 | |
| 1995 | 39 | – | 118 | |
| 1996 | 42 | – | 160 | |
| 1997 | 41 | – | 201 | |
| 1998 | 47 | – | 248 | |
| 1999 | 44 | – | 292 | |
| 2000 | 63 | – | 355 | |
| 2001 | 60 | – | 415 | |
| 2002 | 54 | – | 469 | |
| 2003 | 52 | – | 521 | |
| 2004 | 62 | – | 583 | |
| 2005 | 64 | – | 647 | |
| 2006 | 82 | – | 729 | |
| 2007 | 140[3] | – | 869 | |
| 2008 | 166[4] | – | 1035 | |
| 2009 | 175 | 39 | 1,249 | |
| 2010 | 273 | None | 1,552 | |
| 2011 | 214 | 20 | 1,756 | |
| 2012 | 230 | None | 1,986 | |
| 2013 | 290 | None | 2,276 | |
| 2014 | 253 | None | 2,529 | |
| 2015 | 285 | None | 2,814 | |
| 2016 | 307[5] | None | 3,121 | |
| 2017 | 243[6] | None | 3,364 |
See main article: Minister of Defence (Sri Lanka). Since the establishment of the MoD in 1978 the portfolio of Minister of Defence was held by the President of Sri Lanka, except for a few brief periods . However a minister oversaw activities of the MoD and the armed forces.Incomplete