Sri Lanka, Sept. 21 -- China's grand military parade in Tiananmen Square on September 3, marking the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, was a display of precision and power.

The spectacle, which featured an array of advanced military hardware from tanks to nuclear-capable missiles, has prompted a former Sri Lankan Naval officer to comment on the strategic lessons the island nation must learn.

According to Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna, a hydrographer and geopolitical commentator who previously served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, the parade sends a clear message to Sri Lanka on how to prepare its military for the next phase of conflict.

A new kind of conflict

The parade was a capstone to a week of majo...