The Defence Headquarters Complex () is a complex of buildings currently under construction at Akuregoda,

Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (), also known as Jayapura or Kotte, is the legislative capital of Sri Lanka. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is located adjacent to the urban area of Sri Lanka's de facto economic, executive, and judicial capital, Colombo ...

to house the Sri Lanka Armed Forces headquarters and offices of the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

History

Under the Colombo Master Plan of 1979 all government offices in Colombo are to be moved to the administrative capital of Sri Jayewardenepura, Kotte, enabling the release of high-value land in Colombo for commercial development. The headquarters of various defence institutions were separate and scattered across Colombo, resulting in great inefficiency and high-security zones amidst commercial areas, causing disturbance to the general public. Thus Defence Headquarters Complex allows resources to be better utilised and provides defence personnel with a state of the art office complex. This increases operational, administrative and logistic efficiency and minimises the disturbances caused to civilians and economic activities. Construction commenced in 2011 with the parliamentary approval of Rs. 20 billion allocation. In 2015, with the change of government, construction halted and allocated funds were taken over by the Treasury which caused construction delays. In November 2019, the

Sri Lanka Army The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; ...

began moving its

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

to the completed blocks 6 and 7. In May 2021,

shifted to the newly constructed Block 1 of Defence Headquarters Complex.

Complex

The Administrative Building Complex consist of eight nine-storey buildings. In addition there is another block of similar size separate from the administrative complex as a communications center alongside other buildings. The Administrative Building Complex consist of, * Block No. 1 - Ministry of Defence * Block No. 2 - Ministry of Defence * Block No. 3 - Sri Lanka Navy Headquarters * Block No. 4 - Sri Lanka Air Force Headquarters * Block No. 5 - Combined conference Space * Block No. 6 - Army Headquarters * Block No. 7 - Army Headquarters * Block No. 8 - Office of Chief Defence Staff (currently this office doesn't exist as the post 'Chief of Defence Staff' is obsolete) * Block No. 9 - Joint Operations Command (JOC) Headquarters in addition the complex contains several independent buildings which include * Communication Building and Signal Tower * Security Building * Water Sump and Pump House * Sewerage treatment plant * Generator building

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Military headquarters in Sri Lanka Joint military headquarters