Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy

Chief of Staff of the Navy has been the title of the second in command of the Sri Lanka Navy. The post is held by a regular officer of the rank of Rear Admiral and is the second most senior position in the navy. Chief of Staff is charged with assisting the Navy Commander in both operational and administrative aspects, functioning as the Acting Navy Commander in his absences or incantation. Chief of Staff is assisted by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Navy.[1][2]

Chief of Staff of the Navy
Sri Lanka Navy
TypeVery senior post
StatusTwo star admiral
AbbreviationCOS
Reports toCommander of the Navy
ResidenceColombo
SeatNavy HQ
NominatorPresident of Sri Lanka
AppointerPresident of Sri Lanka
Term lengthNot fixed
Formation1949
DeputyDeputy Chief of Staff

List of chiefs of staff edit

NoChief of staffTook officeLeft officeNotes
Commander Royce de Mel1951CaptainRoyce de Mel was appointed as 4th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Rear Admiral becoming the first serving officer to hold the rank.
Captain Rajan KadiragamarLater Captain Rajan Kadiragamar was appointed as 5th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Rear Admiral 1959 .
Commander D. V. HunterLater Commander D. V. Hunter was appointed as 6th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Rear Admiral 1959 .
Commodore Basil Gunasekara19711973Later Commodore Basil Gunasekara was appointed as 7th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Rear Admiral and on his retirement he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.
Commodore Henry Perera31 May 1979Later Commodore Henry Perera was appointed as 8th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Rear Admiral and on his retirement he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.
Commodore Asoka de Silva[3]1 July 197931 May 1983Later Commodore Asoka de Silva was appointed as 9th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Rear Admiral. On 1 August 1986 he was promoted to Vice Admiral becoming the first naval officer to hold the rank.
Commodore H. A. Silva1 June 198331 October 1986Later Commodore H. A. Silva was appointed as 10th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Rear Admiral and on his retirement he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral.
Rear Admiral Clancy Fernando199131 October 1991Later Rear Admiral Clancy Fernando was appointed as 11th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Vice Admiral. He was assassinated by a LTTE suicide bomber on the 16 November 1992, and posthumously promoted to Admiral.
Rear Admiral D. A. M. R. Samarasekara15 November 1992
Rear Admiral Daya SandagiriApril 199813 December 2000Later Rear Admiral Daya Sandagiri was appointed as 14th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Vice Admiral and on his retirement he was promoted to Admiral and appointed as Chief of the Defence Staff.
Rear Admiral AHM Razeek28 February 2001
Rear Admiral Mohan Wijewickrama2 March 200131 August 2005In 2019 President Maithripala Sirisena assigned him the rank of Vice Admiral from the date of retirement.
Rear Admiral Sarath Ratnakeerthi1 September 200513 December 2005
Rear Admiral Sarath Weerasekara1 January 200631 December 2006
Rear Admiral CN Thuduwewatta1 January 200620 May 2007
Rear Admiral TMWKB Tennakoon21 May 20076 June 2008
Rear Admiral MRU Siriwardena7 June 200815 May 2009
Rear Admiral Thisara Samarasinghe16 May 200914 July 2009
Rear Admiral D. W. A. S. Dissanayake15 July 200914 January 2011Later Rear Admiral D. W. A. S. Dissanayake was appointed as 17th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Vice Admiral and on his retirement he was promoted to the rank of Admiral.
Rear Admiral MTDJ Dharma Siriwardane27 September 20129 January 2013COS was vacant from 14 January 2011 to 27 September 2012
Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera[4]10 January 201330 June 2014Later Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera was appointed as 19th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Vice Admiral and on his retirement he was promoted to the rank of Admiral.
Rear Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne[5]7 July 201410 July 2015Later Rear Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne was appointed as 20th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Vice Admiral. On 18 August 2017 he was promoted to the rank of Admiral and appointed as Chief of Defense Staff.
Rear Admiral Sirimevan Ranasinghe[6]11 July 201525 October 2017
Rear Admiral Neil Rosayro[7]26 October 20171 July 2018
Rear Admiral Piyal De Silva[8]2 July 201830 December 2018Later Rear Admiral Piyal De Silva was appointed as 23rd Commander of the Navy and promoted to Vice Admiral and on his retirement he was promoted to the rank of Admiral.
Rear Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne[9]4 May 201914 July 2020Later Rear Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne was appointed as 24th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Vice Admiral.
Rear Admiral Ruwan Perera [10]21 March 2021
Rear Admiral Y. N. Jayarathna[11]August 202121 June 2022
Rear Admiral Upul De Silva[12]June 2022July 2022
Rear Admiral Priyantha Perera[13]9 July 202218 December 2022Later Rear Admiral Priyantha Perera was appointed as 25th Commander of the Navy and promoted to Vice Admiral.
Rear Admiral Jayantha Kularathna18 December 202216 January 2024
Rear Admiral Pradeep Rathnayake16 January 2024

References edit

  1. ^ "Navy Act". Srilankalaw.lk. Blackhall Publishing. Archived from the original on 24 August 2017. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  2. ^ "Past Commanders". navy.lk.
  3. ^ "VICE ADMIRAL ASOKA DE SILVA - FORMER COMMANDER OF THE NAVY". infolanka. News.
  4. ^ "Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera appointed Navy Chief of Staff". DailyNews.
  5. ^ "Rear Admiral Ravi Wijegunaratne, New Chief of Staff of Navy". lankanewspage.
  6. ^ "Rear Admiral Ranasinghe assumes duties as Navy Chief of Staff". FTLK.
  7. ^ "New Navy Chief of Staff appointed". department of government information.
  8. ^ "President appoints Rear Admiral Piyal de Silva as new Navy Commander". FTLK. Sri Lanka.
  9. ^ "Rear Admiral Nishantha Ulugetenne assumes duties as Chief of Staff of the Navy". Daily News. Sri Lanka. 8 May 2019.
  10. ^ "Rear Admiral Ruwan Perera promoted to Navy Chief of Staff". ft. News.
  11. ^ "Rear Admiral YN Jayarathne appointed as Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy". newslk. News.
  12. ^ "Rear Admiral Upul De Silva appointed as Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy". News.
  13. ^ "Newly appointed Chief of Staff of the Navy Rear Admiral Priyantha Perera meets Commander of the Navy". Sri Lanka Navy.

External links edit