# Minister of Defence (Sri Lanka)

The Minister of Defence is an appointment in the Cabinet of Sri Lanka who is responsible for the implementation of the Government of Sri Lankas defence policy and the headquarters of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces. The post was first created in 1947 as Minister of External Affairs and Defence, in 1978 the Ministry of External Affairs and Defence separated into two ministries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Defence. Prior to the separation of the post the Minister of External Affairs and Defence was held by the Prime Minister since 1947, with a Parliamentary Secretary for Defence and External Affairs who was an elected parliamentarian and was the de facto foreign minister.

## List of Defence Ministers

| No. | Portrait | Name (Born-Died) | Term | Term | Term | Political Party | Head(s) of Government |
| No. | Portrait | Name (Born-Died) | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Political Party | Head(s) of Government |
| Minister of External Affairs and Defence ||||||||
| 1 | | D. S. Senanayake (1883–1952) | 24 September 1947 | 22 March 1952 † | 4 years, 180 days | UNP | D. S. Senanayake |
| 2 | | Dudley Senanayake (1911–1973) | 22 March 1952 | 12 October 1953 | 1 year, 204 days | UNP | Dudley Senanayake |
| 3 | | John Kotelawala (1895–1980) | 12 October 1953 | 12 April 1956 | 2 years, 183 days | UNP | John Kotelawala |
| 4 | | S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (1899–1959) | 12 April 1956 | 26 September 1959 † | 3 years, 167 days | SLFP | S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike |
| 5 | | Wijeyananda Dahanayake (1901–1997) | 26 September 1959 | 20 March 1960 | 176 days | Sinhala Language Front | Wijeyananda Dahanayake |
| (2) | | Dudley Senanayake (1911–1973) | 21 March 1960 | 21 July 1960 | 122 days | UNP | Dudley Senanayake |
| 6 | | Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1916–2000) | 21 July 1960 | 25 March 1965 | 4 years, 247 days | SLFP | Sirimavo Bandaranaike |
| (2) | | Dudley Senanayake (1911–1973) | 25 March 1965 | 29 May 1970 | 5 years, 65 days | UNP | Dudley Senanayake |
| (6) | | Sirimavo Bandaranaike (1916–2000) | 29 May 1970 | 23 July 1977 | 7 years, 55 days | SLFP | Sirimavo Bandaranaike |
| 7 | | J. R. Jayewardene (1906–1996) | 23 July 1977 | 4 February 1978 | 196 days | UNP | J. R. Jayewardene |
| Minister of Defence ||||||||
| 1 | | Ranasinghe Premadasa (1924–1993) | 1989 | ? | ? | UNP | Ranasinghe Premadasa |
| 2 | | Ranjan Wijeratne (1931–1991) | ? | ? | ? | UNP | Ranasinghe Premadasa |
| 3 | | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga (1916–2008) | 7 May 1993 | 12 November 1994 | 1 year, 189 days | UNP | Dingiri Banda Wijetunga |
| 4 | | Chandrika Kumaratunga (born 1945) | 12 November 1994 | 12 December 2001 | 7 years, 30 days | SLFP | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| 5 | | Tilak Marapana (born 1942) | 12 December 2001 | 4 November 2003 | 1 year, 327 days | UNP | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| (4) | | Chandrika Kumaratunga (born 1945) | 4 November 2003 | 19 November 2005 | 2 years, 15 days | SLFP | Chandrika Kumaratunga |
| Minister of Defence and Urban Development ||||||||
| 1 | | Mahinda Rajapaksa (born 1945) | 19 November 2005 | 8 January 2015 | 9 years, 50 days | SLFP | Mahinda Rajapaksa |
| Minister of Defence ||||||||
| 6 | | Maithripala Sirisena (born 1951) | 12 January 2015 | 18 November 2019 | 4 years, 310 days | SLFP | Maithripala Sirisena |
| 7 | | Gotabaya Rajapaksa (born 1949) | 28 November 2019 | 14 July 2022 | 2 years, 228 days | SLPP | Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
| 8 | | Ranil Wickremesinghe (born 1949) | 15 July 2022 | 23 September 2024 | 2 years, 243 days | UNP | Ranil Wickremesinghe |
| 9 | | Anura Kumara Dissanayake (born 1968) | 23 September 2024 | Incumbent | 173 days | NPP | Anura Kumara Dissanayake |