The Turning Point

The Naval Role in Sri Lanka's War on LTTE Terrorism

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Admiral of the Fleet Wasantha Karannagoda became the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy on 1 September 2005 and led the navy during the fourth Eelam war, which resulted in the comprehensive defeat of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka.

Admiral Karannagoda’s tenure was marked by important changes in the strategy of the Sri Lanka Navy. Among other things, on several occasions, naval task forces were despatched more than 3200 km away from Sri Lanka to areas close to Indonesian and Australian waters, to destroy LTTE ‘floating warehouse ships’, thereby cutting off all supplies to the LTTE and depriving them of vital arms and ammunition to continue the war. His ‘small boat concept’ revolutionized coastal warfare and destroyed the LTTE Sea Tiger wing completely.

During Karannagoda’s tenure as Commander, the Sri Lanka Navy graduated from being a ‘brown water’ navy, operating largely in inland and shallow sea waters to a ‘blue water’ navy capable of operating on the high seas.

The Turning Point is Admiral Karannagoda’s account of the crucial years of the war from 2006 to 2009 when he was at the helm of the navy. It offers a ringside view of the war and acts as an instructive document about leadership and military strategy.