Military Engineering and Technology Conference 2024 concludes in Welisara

The Military Engineering and Technology Conference 2024 was successfully held at Wave n' Lake Navy Hall, Welisara on 16th February 2024. At the invitation of the President of College of Military Engineering & Technology Sri Lanka (CMETSL), Director General Engineering of the Sri Lanka Navy, Rear Admiral Ravi Ranasinghe, the event was graced by the Secretary Defence, General Kamal Gunaratne (Retd) as the Chief Guest. The occasion was also dignified by the presence of the Chief of Defence Staff, General Shavendra Silva, the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera, the Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa, members of CMETSL and distinguished guests.

The Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, addressing the conference commended the role of military engineers during the humanitarian operations and nation-building activities, and CMETSL's commitment to creating a platform for military engineers, experts, researchers, and professionals in the field. The Secretary, Minister of Defence, and the architect of the idea behind forming CMETSL to achieve synergy among almost 1800 military engineers extended warm regards to all contributors, emphasizing the significance of forums like these in fostering innovation, collaboration, and knowledge exchange.

Keynote address was given by Dr. Sanjiva Weerawarna who is the founder, chairman and CEO of WSO2, one of the largest software companies in Sri Lanka. He emphasized the ever changing engineering and technology landscape and the emergence of advanced technologies which can be adopted to military especially Sri Lankan Military through technologies made in Sri Lanka.

The Military Engineering and Technology Conference 2024 held under the theme "Engineering for Future: Managing Modern Challenges in Military Engineering and Technology" consisted of three (03) sessions. The Introduction to the Session I was done by Major General Tuan Fadyl Meedin (Retd) under Emerging Technologies in Military Engineering and Technology. In this session Rear Admiral Viraj Leelarathna, Engineer SS Morapitiya, Captain WPC Weerawardna and Engineer Nadun Gunawardana presented papers under the theme ‘A Comprehensive Survey on 5G Technology and 5G Adaptation in South Asia and Sri Lanka’.

Moreover, Mr. Farash Samat, Head - Information Security, Dialog Axiata PLC on Prioritizing Cyber Security Resources in the Defence Sector: A Data-Driven Approach to Risk-Based Vulnerability Management, Mr. Indika De Zoysa, Strategic Adviser and Vice President, Huawei Technologies Lanka Pvt Ltd on Military Perspectives on Fostering Economic Growth in the Digital Age and Major Sampath Palliyaguruge on Detecting Security Vulnerabilities in Web Applications with Self-Organized Threat Intelligence Platforms, presented papers.

The Session II, themed under Collaborative Approaches to Military Engineering and Technology/ Synergy and Sustainability, was moderated by Rear Admiral AV Abeyasena (Retd). In the session, Commodore Hasantha Dassanaike and Commander Milinda Dasanayaka on Collaborative Fault Finding in Condition Based Predictive Maintenance (Case Study), Wing Commander SN Kiriwella on Technological Solutions to Enhance the Sortie Generation Rate of Aircraft in a Small Air Force and Lieutenant Commander Ruwan Jayathilake on Signal Processing for Through the Wall Imaging Radar (TWIR) to Detect Real Time Living and Non-Living Objects, presented papers.

Moderated by Air Commodore Jayasiri Amarasena (Retd), the Session III was held under the theme Value Engineering: Role of Military Engineers in Nation Building. In that session, Major Hemantha Dayaratne (Retd) of Colombo Dockyard PLC on Colombo Dockyard PLC’s Potentials in National Security, Nation Building and Economic Resilience Being the Pioneer in Local Ship Building, Ship Repairing and Heavy Engineering Industry, Lieutenant Colonel OMR Priyantha on Concrete Cover for Reinforced Cement Concrete (RCC) Used in Military Engineering Construction within the Sri Lanka Army as well as Major AAM De Zoysa, Major NDGT Nanayakkara, Major TDK Gunasena, Major KGD Jayasanka, Major MK Wanniarachchi and Major RPNMB Ranawickrama on A Mine-Resistant and Desert-Compatible 6x6 Military Personnel Carrier for UN Peacekeeping Missions presented papers.

By organizing conferences where scholarly ideas are shared, officers in engineering and technology fields from the military are able to enhance their knowledge and skills. This helps them contribute collectively to national security, exchange expertise, and foster professional cooperation, ultimately aiding in achieving national goals.

During the Annual General Meeting of CMETSL, held after the conference, Brigadier GLSW Liyanage was appointed as the new president of CMETSL. Director General Engineering of the Navy, Rear Admiral Ravi Ranasinghe, delegated the responsibility of the appointment to him during the event.

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, Rear Admiral Pradeep Rathnayake, Vice Chancellor General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Rear Admiral Dammika Kumara (Retd), Commander Western Naval Area, Director Generals of the Navy, Adviser to CMETSL Major General Renuka Rowell (retd), flag-ranking officers, and senior and junior officers from the tri-services were present on this occasion.