Colombo, Jan 13 (IANS): Sri Lanka will reduce the size of the army to 135,000 by 2024 from the current approved number of 200,783, a state minister said here on Friday.
The number will be further reduced to 100,000 by 2030, State Minister of Defence Pramitha Bandara Tennakoon said in a press release.
Tennakoon said that the strength of the military and sustainable economic development are two sides of a coin, reports Xinhua news agency.
He said that military spending indirectly stimulates and opens avenues for economic growth by way of assuring national and human security.
The government has come up with a strategic blueprint to establish a technically and tactically sound and well-balanced defence force by the year 2030 to meet future security challenges on a par with the national security needs of the country, he said.