Commandant is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police rank. It is also often used to refer to the commander of a military prison or prison camp.
The Maldives National Defence Force is the national military responsible for defending the security and sovereignty of the Maldives. It is primarily responsible per the constitution to defend and protect the Republic, its territorial integrity, its exclusive economic zone (EEZ) and the people.
Lieutenant General Parami Sudammika Bandara Kulatunga, RSP, VSV, USP was a Sri Lanka Army general. He was serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and its third highest-ranking officer at the time of his assassination. On the morning of 26 June, he was killed by a Tamil Tiger suicide bomber who drove an explosives laden motorbike into his staff car as it was driving to a military base at Pannipitiya near Colombo.
Major General Mohamed Zahir is a former Chief of Defence Force of the Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF) of the Republic of Maldives.
Major General (Retired) Moosa Ali Jaleel M.Phil. MSc ndc psc is a retired 2 star officer of the Maldives National Defence Force who served as the 3rd Chief of Defence Force of Maldives National Defence Force from 18 November 2008 until 7 February 2012. MG (Rtd) Moosa Jaleel also held office as the Minister of Defence from January to October 2015 during the presidency of Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom.
Lieutenant General (retd) Abdulla Shamaal MA MSc ndu psc is the former Chief of Defence Force (CDF) of Maldives National Defence Force (MNDF). General Shamaal was appointed to the post of Chief of Defence Force on 11 December 2018 by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih and served until 17 November 2023. Shamaal was trained in various military institutions such as the United States Army Infantry School in Fort Benning, the Pakistan Military Academy and the Defence Services Staff College in India. Shamaal was previously discharged from service in November 2013 but was reinstated in December 2018 following High Court verdict that his discharge was unlawful. He has also held various Senior Command, Staff and Instructional appointments during his career.
Brigadier General Ahmed Mohamed was the Vice Chief of Defence Force of the Maldives National Defence Force. He was appointed to this post on 4 March 2012. Brigadier General Ahmed Mohamed was born on 9 July 1964 in the island of Maroshi, Shaviyani Atoll.
Major General Gammanpila Arachchige Chandrasiri, RWP, USP, ndc, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan senior army general and a provincial governor. He is the Governor of Northern Province. He was the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna ; General Officer Commanding, 52 Division;, Director General - General Staff, Joint Operations Headquarters; Brigade Commander Armoured Brigade, and Commander, Area Headquarters Mannar.
General Shantha H.S. Kottegoda, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a retired senior Sri Lanka Army general. He was the seventeenth commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1 July 2004 – 5 December 2005. He had served as the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil and Thailand. In April 2019, following the Easter Sunday bombings he was appointed as the permanent secretary to the Ministry of Defence.
Major General Simone Louise Wilkie, is a retired Australian Army officer who was the Australian Deputy National Commander in the War in Afghanistan in 2011 and 2012. She was Assistant Chief of Staff to General David Petraeus during the Iraq War troop surge of 2007, and was the first female Commanding Officer of the Royal Military College, Duntroon and Commandant at the Army Recruit Training Centre at Kapooka. In March 2013 the Minister for Defence, Stephen Smith, announced her promotion to major general to take over as Commander of the Australian Defence College in July 2013.
Lieutenant General Lawrence Mbatha is the current Chief of the South African Army. He was appointed to this position in April 2020. Before being appointed Chief of the Army he was the General Officer Commanding of the South african National Defence Force Training Command and before that he was the 19th Commandant of the South African Military Academy.
General Akurathiya Withanage Jagath Crishanthe de Silva, RWP, USP is a former senior Sri Lanka Army general and military engineer. He had served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 22 February 2015 to 4 July 2017, as the Chief of Defence Staff from 29 June 2017 to 21 August 2017. Later he was appointed as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Bangladesh.
Lieutenant General Kamal Jit Singh, PVSM, AVSM & Bar is a retired Indian Army officer and former general officer commanding-in-chief of Western Command. After retirement, he was conferred with Maharaja Ranjit Singh Chair of Excellence in Punjab University. and was appointed as Advisor to CM Haryana in November 2018. He graduated from the National Defence Academy, and attended various staff courses in training academies of the Indian Army throughout the country. Singh worked closely with UN Peacekeeping forces stationed in Angola and was commended by the chief and UN Force Commander during his tenure. He held several appointments as commanding officer and also staff appointments at the headquarters of the Indian Army. He has been twice awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal. In 2019, Singh was appointed as State Information Commissioner and was inducted into Chandigarh Advisory Council. He was nominated as Chairman of Education Standing Committee of UT Advisory Council in 2022. He was awarded Ph D in Defence Studies in Oct 2023. He was conferred with designation of Honorary Professor in PU in Sep 23 and as Prof of Practice in Chandigarh University in Oct 23.
Major General Channa Gunathilaka, RSP, USP, ndc, psc, SLE was a senior general of the Sri Lanka Army, who was the current Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. He was the former Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, Security Force Commander (Central), Military Secretary, Security Force Commander (Kilinochchi), GOC - 56th Infantry Division, GOC - Mannar.
Major General William M. Lenaers is a retired general officer in the United States Army and served as Commanding General, U.S. Army Tank-automotive and Armaments Command in Warren, Michigan from 2004 to 2008. Prior to this assignment, he served as the 32nd Chief of Ordnance and Commandant of the U.S. Army Ordnance School at Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Maryland.
Major General Galwaduge Janaka Laksiri Waduge, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, ndu is a retired Sri Lankan army general. He was the 10th Commander Security Forces Headquarters – Central and the former Colonel commandant of Military Intelligence Corps. He retired from active service in 2020 upon reaching the mandatory retirement age of 55 for Sri Lankan Armed Forces Personnel.
Major General Jagath Gunawardena, RSP, VSV, USP was a Sri Lankan senior army general. He was the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lankan Army, having served as the Commandant of the Volunteer Force, Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – Wanni and Master General of Ordnance. He served as the Colonel Commandant of the Sri Lanka Engineers.
Brigadier General Bernard Nkawa was a Namibian military officer whose last appointment was as Defence Attaché to DRC.
Lieutenant General Peter Mbogo Njiru, is a Kenyan military officer, who serves as the Commander, Kenya Army, since July 2022. The Kenya Army is a service branch of the Kenya Defence Forces (KDF). Before his present assignment, General Njiru was the commander of the Kenya Joint Command and Staff College, at the rank of Major General.
