T. N. De Silva

Last updated
T. N. De Silva
Service/branch Sri Lanka Army
Years of service1962-1996
Rank Major General
Unit Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
Commands held 23 Division,
Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force,
Armoured Brigade
Battles/wars 1971 Insurrection,
Sri Lankan Civil War,
Insurrection 1987-89
Awards Uttama Seva Padakkama
Other workDirector, National Cadet Corps

Major General T. N. De Silva, USP (1939 - ) 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. [1]

Contents

Education

Educated at Royal College, Colombo, Balasuriya joined the army in 1962 after leaving school and revived officer training at the Indian Military Academy. Thereafter he was commissioned in to the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Ceylon Armoured Corps in 1963 as a Second Lieutenant. He underwent training at the Royal Armoured Corps Training Centre, took the Armour Officers Advanced Course in India and attended staff college gaining the psc qualification.

Military career

After serving as a Troop Leader in the Ceylon Armoured Corps, he served as Officer Instructor, Aide-de-Camp to the Army Commander, staff officer of the General Staff, Recruiting Officer and Adjutant of the Ceylon Cadet Corps.

As the Commanding officer he commanded the NCOs' Training wing / Recruit Training school at the Army Training Centre in Diyatalawa and later the Sri Lanka Military Academy. After serving in the Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna, he became the Commandant of the Infantry Training Centre in Minneriya before returning to Jaffna as Deputy Commander, Security Force Headquarters, Jaffna. During the Insurrection 1987-89 he served as Military Coordinator of the Gampaha District.

Becoming the Director of Armour, he became the Brigade Commander of the Independent Armoured Brigade and later the 21 Brigade and the 33 Brigade. Thereafter he was appointed Director of Personnel Administration at the Army Headquarters, then the commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Forces and general Officer Commanding, 21 Division. He was the Regimental Commander, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps and later the Director, National Cadet Corps.

General De Silva is a graduate of the Command and Staff College. He was awarded the Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Purna Bhumi Padakkama.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Denzil Kobbekaduwa</span> Sri Lanka Armys senior officer

Lieutenant General Denzil Lakshman Kobbekaduwa, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP was a senior Sri Lankan Army officer who served in the 1971 Insurrection and the Sri Lankan Civil War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Army</span> Land force of the Sri Lankan armed forces

The Sri Lanka Army is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. Established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, it was renamed when Sri Lanka became a republic in 1972. In 2010, the Army had approximately 200,000 regular personnel, between 20,000 and 40,000 reserve (volunteer) personnel and 18,000 National Guardsmen and comprises 13 divisions, one air-mobile brigade, one commando brigade, one special forces brigade, one independent armored brigade, three mechanized infantry brigades and over 40 infantry brigades.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Armoured Corps</span> Military unit

The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as the T-55AM2, and type 80/88 main battle tanks; the BMP infantry fighting vehicle; and the BTR-80, and WZ551 armoured personnel carriers. It comprises six regular armoured regiments, a volunteer regiment, and a regimental band. It has an independent Armoured Brigade and is headquartered at Rock House Army Camp, Colombo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sri Lanka Signals Corps</span> Military unit

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jagath Jayasuriya</span> Sri Lanka Army general

General Jagath Jayasuriya, VSV, USP is a retired senior Sri Lanka Army general; he was the Chief of Defence Staff, the head of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces as a Full General from 1 August 2013 to 15 June 2015 and Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, the head of the army as a Lieutenant General 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.

Major General Nandana Udawatta, RSP, USP, psc, SLAC is a Sri Lankan general. He has served as the Master General Ordnance, Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna, Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Mullaittivu and was the general officer commanding, 59 Division during the SLA offensives in the Wanni region during 2008 - 2009 period that led to a major victory for the SLA over the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in the Sri Lankan civil war.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. A. Chandrasiri</span> Sri Lankan army general, politician

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.

Major General M.C. Mendaka. P. Samarasinghe, RWP, RSP, USP, ndc, psc, SLE was a Sri Lankan general and former Chief of Staff, Sri Lanka Army and also the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna; he was also the General Officer Commanding, 22 Division.

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 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 C.H. Fernando, VSV was a senior Sri Lanka Army general, who was the former Director of Operations, General Staff; GOC, 2 Division; Commander, Northern Command.

Major General Devinda Kalupahana, RSP, USP, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan army general, who was the former GOC, 3 Division; GOC, 2 Division; Director Operations, General Staff and Commandant, Sri Lanka Military Academy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohan Jayasinghe</span>

Brigadier Rohan M. Jayasinghe, USP, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan military officer, former Director Armour; brigade commander, armored brigade; brigade commander, 212 Brigade and Sri Lanka's first Military attaché, Sri Lankan Embassy, Washington DC.

Major General Y. Balaretnarajah, VSV, USP, ndc is a retired Sri Lankan army officer. He had served as Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, Commandant of the Volunteer Force and Commander - Jaffna Security Forces. He has commanded the 1 Division, Armoured Brigade, 21 Brigade and 24 Brigade.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rohan Daluwatte</span> Sri Lankan general

General Rohan De Silva Daluwatte, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP was a general officer of the Sri Lanka Army. He served as Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Chief of the Defence Staff. Following his retirement from the army, he served as Sri Lankan Ambassador to Brazil among other appointments.

General Lionel Piyananda Balagalle RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, VSP was a senior Sri Lankan army general. He served as Commander of the Sri Lanka Army and Chief of the Defence Staff.

General Gerard Hector "Gerry" de Silva, RWP, VSV, USP was a general officer of the Sri Lanka Army. 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.

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

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.

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.

General N.U.M. Mahesh W. Senanayke, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP is a retired Sri Lankan Army general who served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 2017 to 2019. Senanayake had previously been the Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna, General Officer Commanding, 52 Division and Brigade Commander, Special Forces Brigade. Having started his military career as a military engineer, Senanayake became a special forces officer and is a veteran of all four phases of the Sri Lankan Civil War, he has served in both its Northern and Eastern theaters. Following his retirement, he contested the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election and came fourth after the three candidates of the three major political parties in the island.

References

Military offices
Preceded by
Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force Succeeded by