According to Maj. Marks, whose paper is extensively quoted by Walter Jayaradhana in his report in the website LankaPage. Com, Sri Lanka urgently needs a small number of US advisors to help plan and co-ordinate military action involving the three wings of the armed forces. Sri Lankans, Maj. Marks says, have just not been able to develop a coherent military doctrine, formulate a national war policy and coordinate planning and action in the field.
Marks advocates sending of specialised forces and intelligence experts and functional specialists.
And this, he says, is reflected in lack of success on the field. Commanders do not sufficiently coordinate tactical or operational forces. Although they have close air support, including Russian MI-24 Hind helicopters and Israeli Kfir aircraft, they do not have forward air controllers, Marks points out. Because of the rapid growth of the army and need to engage in operations continuously, there is very little training, education and expertise development to help carry out large-scale operations, he says. Further, there is no school to train intelligence operatives.