National Defence College at a Glance

National Defence College (NDC) has been inaugurated as the premier strategic education establishment in Sri Lanka to develop future policy-makers in the realm of national security, statecraft, governance, diplomacy and international security to strengthen the national security mechanism in the country through collective intellectual rigour. The NDC was inaugurated on 11 November 2021 by His Excellency President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces and Minister of Defence.

The NDC provides high-quality professional strategic education to produce graduates who are skilled critical strategic thinkers able to provide professional counsel in achieving national security objectives. The NDC will also usher in a new era to enhance the professionalism of the tri-services. It will seek to foster inter-institutional civil-military synergy to strengthen the national security mechanism of the country through intellectual endeavour. The NDC is accredited to General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University Sri Lanka for the award of post-graduate degrees.

The NDC is a platform to bring all officials at the highest level to study national issues pertaining to National Security, thus creating a joint environment for civil-military cooperation. The degrees will aim at creating a strategic thinker, strategic analyst, strategic decision-maker and strategic advisor. It can be introduced as a great privilege for senior officers who wish to achieve a prestigious and productive qualification. Therefore, it is a mandatory requirement to provide the best possible higher level politico-military strategic exposure and degree programmes (MSc/MPhil) in subjects related to National Security, Strategy and Policy, enabling NDC to achieve status on par with international standards.

The National Security and Strategic Study Course is a multi-disciplinary learning platform tailored to suit the stated objective. A total of eight study modules are spread over two semesters. Each module is developed considering the formulation of strategic options for decision making with respect to current national, regional and global issues/scenarios that affect national security and policy. Further, course participants have the opportunity to meet state leaders and policy-makers locally and internationally to broaden their understanding of national security.

The NDC is located in the heart of Colombo, Commercial Capital of Sri Lanka on the premises with historical heritage. The building was built in 1928 by a wealthy Sri Lankan businessman and later it was utilized by French Consul and Vice Admiral Sir Geoffrey Layton, Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon who lived in it till the end of World War II. Later, the building was commissioned as the Official Residence of the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka.

Rejuvenating Mumtaz Mahal With Tri-Services Hands

The Italian renaissance styled Mumtaz Mahal which is located in Colpetty was designed by renowned architect Homi Billimoria in 1929 and used as the official residence of the Speaker of the Parliament of Sri Lanka since 1948. This mansion was left unoccupied since 2000 when the Speaker was assigned a new residence closer to Parliament in Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte. The dilapidated building was beautifully renovated by the skilful men in uniform preserving its historic architectural value and fine craftsmanship.

The rejuvenated Mumtaz Mahal proudly stands today with its rich craftsmanship and cultural value to enable the establishment of National Defence College Sri Lanka, the highest institution in the island to mould tri-services, police and senior public service officers on policies and strategies of national defence concern.