Sumith Balasuriya

Last updated
Sumith Balasuriya
Service / branch Sri Lanka Army
Years of service1974-2009
Rank Major General
Unit Sri Lanka Artillery
Commands Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force,
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University,
23 Division
Battles / wars Sri Lankan Civil War,
Insurrection 1987-89
Awards Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya,
Uttama Seva Padakkama
Other workDirector General - Ministry of Foreign Affairs

Major General Sumith Balasuriya, VSV, USP is a retired Sri Lankan army general, who was the former Commandant of the Volunteer Force; Vice Chancellor, General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and GOC, 23 Division. [1] [2]

Educated at Royal College, Colombo, Balasuriya joined the army in 1974 after completing basic training at the Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa, he was commissioned in to the Sri Lanka Artillery in 1975 as a Second Lieutenant. Having served as an Instructor Gunnery, he went to become the Colonel-Commandant, Sri Lanka Artillery in 2009. [3]

Having completed staff college and graduated of the National Defence College, India, he held several senior command and staff appointments in the army, including General Officer Commanding, 23 Division; Director General Financial Management, Army Headquarters; Military Co-ordinating Officer, Trincomalee. [4] [5] Becoming the Vice Chancellor Commandant of the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, he was tipped to become the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. However he was appointed as Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. [6]

He retired from the army in 2010. [7]

He was awarded the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya (VSV), Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Riviresa Campaign Services Medal, the Purna Bhumi Padakkama and the North and East Operations Medal. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Parami Kulatunga</span> Sri Lankan army general

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.

The Sri Lanka Signals Corps (SLSC) is a combat support corps of the Sri Lanka Army, responsible for providing military communications, information technology and electronic warfare support. The corps is made up of a signals brigade, ten regular regiments and one volunteer regiment. It is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems. It is headquartered at the Panagoda Cantonment.

Marshal of the Air Force W. D. M. J. Roshan Goonetileke, RWP and bar, VSV, USP is a Sri Lankan senior air force officer. He was a former Governor of the Western Province of Sri Lanka.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Janaka Perera</span> Sri Lankan politician

Major General Janaka Perera, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, VSP was a Sri Lankan General and politician. He served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army and is considered one of the most distinguished generals in Sri Lankan history. After retiring from the army he served as a Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia and Ambassador to Indonesia. He was the opposition leader of the North Central Provincial Council until he and his wife were killed on 6 October 2008 by a suicide bomber. The LTTE have been blamed for the bombing by Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapaksa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denis Perera</span> Sri Lankan army general and diplomat (1930–2013)

General Deshamanya Joseph Everard Denis Perera, VSV, FCMI was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer who served as Commander of the Sri Lankan Army from 1977 to 1981. He was also the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia, Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Ceylon Tobacco Company and Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. He envisioned for a women's corps in the army which resulted in the creation of the Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagath Jayasuriya</span> Sri Lankan army officer

General Jagath Jayasuriya, VSV, USP is a retired Sri Lanka Army officer; he was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 15 July 2009 to 31 July 2013. During the closing stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War, he served as the Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Wanni with overall command of SLA offensives in the Wanni region during the 2008 - 2009 period. He was also the Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru and Suriname from June 2014 to August 2017.

General Shantha H.S. Kottegoda, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a retired senior Sri Lanka Army officer. 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 Gemunu Kulatunge, RSP, USP, ndc, psc (1941-2003) was a Sri Lankan army general, who was the former Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army.

Major General T. N. De Silva, USP is a former Sri Lanka Army general, who was the former General Officer Commanding, 21 Division;, Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, Brigade Commander Armoured Brigade and Director, National Cadet Corps.

General Hamilton Wanasinghe, VSV was a full general in the Sri Lanka Army. He served as the 11th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1988–1991), third General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) (1991–1993) and Defence Secretary.

General Lionel Piyananda Balagalle,, was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer, who served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and the Chief of the Defence Staff. He is known for formalising military intelligence operations within the Sri Lanka Army, having founded the Directorate of Military Intelligence and the Military Intelligence Corps.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Waidyaratne</span> Sri Lankan general

General L. D. E. Cecil Waidyaratne, VSV, USP was a Sri Lanka Army general. He was 12th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and a former Sri Lankan Ambassador to Thailand.

General Gerard Hector "Gerry" de Silva, RWP, VSV, USP was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer. He is the 5th Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University since 20 January 2020. He was the 13th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army and Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan.

General Chandrika Srilal Weerasooriya or 'C.S. Weerasooriya', RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a retired Sri Lankan Army General. He was the 15th Commander of the Sri Lankan Army (1998-2000) and a former Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan (2000-2007)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crishanthe de Silva</span> Sri Lanka Army general

General Akurathiya Withanage Jagath Crishanthe de Silva, RWP, USP is a retired senior Sri Lanka Army officer. 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laksiri Waduge</span> Sri Lankan army general (born 1965)

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 Hikkaduwage Gratian Silva, VSV, FBIM was a Sri Lankan general, he served as the Military Secretary.

Major General Jagath Gunawardena, RSP, VSV, USP was a Sri Lankan senior army officer. 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.

Air Marshal R. A. Udeni P. Rajapaksa RSP & two Bars, VSV, USP is a senior Sri Lanka Air Force officer and pilot currently serving as Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force since June 2023. Previously, he served as Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force, Director Air Operations, Base Commander SLAF Katunayake and Commandant of the Air Force Academy China Bay.

Major General C. A. Mike N. Silva, VSV was a senior Sri Lanka Army officer who served as the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Commandant of the Volunteer Force. He was the first Commandant of the Kotelawala Defence Academy.

References

  1. "Sri Lanka Army - Defenders of the Nation". Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2009-07-03.
  2. Refurbishing the Armed Forces
  3. 1 2 "COLONEL COMMANDANTS OF SRI LANKA ARTILLERY". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  4. "Performance Report Sri Lanka Army 2005" (PDF). parliament.lk. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  5. "Govt. slow boat for tsunami". dailynews.lk. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  6. "Army gets new Chief of Staff". Daily News. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
  7. "Farewell to Maj Gen SR Balasuriya USP ndc PSC IG on his Retirement". gunner.lk. Retrieved 19 July 2021.
Military offices
Preceded by
Lawrence Fernando
Commandant of the Volunteer Force
2007 - 2010
Succeeded by
J. J. P. S. T. Liyanage