National Cadet Corps (Sri Lanka)

The National Cadet Corps (NCC; Sinhala: ජාතික ශිෂ්‍යභට බලකාය, romanized: jātika śiṣyabhaṭa balakāya) is a volunteer youth organisation in Sri Lanka, sponsored by the Ministry of Defence, which operates in schools. Its activities (Cadet and Cadet Band) are open for secondary school students on voluntary basis and its officers are government teachers and educational administrators, who serve as instructors.

The National Cadet Corps presently consists of 9 Provincial Headquarters, 2 Training Centres, and 30 Battalions deployed island wide. Approximately, 100,000 school cadets organized in to 4492 cadet platoons, including 279 cadet band platoons, are registered and trained by the NCC. Cadets are given basic military training in small arms and parades, as well as leadership training. The Corps is also given the grand opportunity to march alongside the forces during the Independence Day Parade of Sri Lanka.

The NCC is headed by a Director of a senior military rank, commonly a Major General, who is appointed by his excellency, the president of Sri Lanka. Although its officers and cadets have no liability for active military service many officers volunteer for secondment to the Sri Lanka Armed forces during national emergencies or are mobilized under national service. Traditionally the Cadet Corps has served as a source for officers for the regular forces of the Sri Lankan military.

Administered under the Mobilization and Supplementary Forces Act, No. 40 of 1985, the corps was renamed from time to time and in 1988, under the initiative of the government and then Minister of Education, Youth Affairs & Employment, and Deputy Minister of Manpower Mobilization, Hon Ranil Wickremesinghe, it was designated as the "National Cadet Corps" thereby discontinuing its attachment to Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force and merging both Defence & Police cadetting under one organization. It is notable that the former president, Hon Ranil Wickremesinghe had the opportunity to present President's colours and Corps colours to the NCC on 19 February 2023.

The first NCC Training Centre was established at Rantambe in 1990 during the tenure of Maj Gen EG Thevanayagam as Director and was declared open by then Secretary of Defence Gen Cyril Ranathunga VSV. Thereafter, on 4 April 2024, the second Training Centre was opened at Mullaitivu by then State Minister of Defence Hon Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, courtesy of the Ministry of Defence and Sri Lanka Army during the tenure of the then Secretary Defense, Gen (Rtd) GDHK Gunaratne WWV RWP RSP USP ndc MPhil, then Commander of the Army, Lt Gen HLVM Liyanage RWP RSP ndu, and the 14th Director of NCC, Maj Gen GS Fonseka USP psc.