Sri Lanka Parliament passes bill to abolish Chief of Defence Staff post

Sri Lanka Parliament today (September 9) passed the Chief of Defence Staff (Repeal) Bill, which will abolish the post of Chief of Defence Staff and repeal the law that created the office.

The Bill was passed without a division following its second reading debate, which was held in Parliament from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM today.

It was first presented to Parliament on August 4, 2026.

The Bill seeks to repeal the Chief of Defence Staff Act, No. 35 of 2009. The Act was introduced in 2009 to carry out functions including coordinating activities between the Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defence according to the requirements at the time.

With the repeal of the 2009 Act, the position of Chief of Defence Staff will also be abolished.

Once the new Act comes into effect, all movable and immovable property belonging to the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff will be transferred to the Ministry of Defence.