Chief of Staff of the Army (Sri Lanka)
Chief of Staff of the Army (CoSA) has been the title of the second in command of the Sri Lanka Army. The post is held by a regular officer of the rank of Major General and is the second senior position in the army. Chief of Staff is charged with assisting the Army Commander in both operational and administrative aspects, functioning as the Acting Army Commander in his absences or incantation. Chief of Staff is assisted by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army.[1]
| Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army | |
|---|---|
 Sri Lanka Army | |
| Reports to | Commander of the Army |
| First holder | Lieutenant Colonel Anton Muttukumaru |
| Deputy | Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army |
| Website | https://www.army.lk |
History
The post was established in 1949, when Lieutenant Colonel Anton Muttukumaru was appointed as Chief of Staff to Brigadier the Earl of Caithness, the first Army Commander when the Ceylon Army was formed. The post was thereafter held by one of the senior most officers in the Ceylon Army, usually of the rank of Colonel. In 1955, Colonel Gerard Wijeyekoon held the post and served as Acting Army Commander, while Brigadier Muttukumaru attend Imperial Defence College. On his return in 1956 Brigadier Muttukumaru assumed command of the army and Colonel Wijeyekoon was transferred to the newly created post of Commandant of the Volunteer Force which became the second most senior post in the army. Since 1966, it became the third-ranking after that of Army Commander. In the 1970s the post became a Brigadier's posting In the early 1990s the post of Deputy Chief of Staff was created. The post of Chief of Staff has become a Major General's posting since the early 1980s.[2]
List of Chief of Staff
- Colonel (later Major General) H. W. G. Wijeyekoon
- Colonel Maurice De Mel
- Colonel (later Major General) Bertram Heyn
- Colonel (later Major General) Richard Udugama
- Brigadier (later Major General) Sepala Attygalle
- Brigadier ET De Z Abeysekera
- Brigadier (later General) Denis Perera
- Brigadier T. S. B. Sally
- Brigadier (later General) Tissa Weerathunga
- Major General (later General) Cecil Waidyaratne
- Major General Y. Balaretnarajah
- Major General (later General) Gerry De Silva
- Major General (later General) Rohan Daluwatte
- Major General (later General) C. S. Weerasooriya
- Major General Janaka Perera
- Major General (later General) Lionel Balagalle
- Major General (later General) Shantha Kottegoda
- Major General (later Field Marshal) Sarath Fonseka
- Major General Nanda Mallawaarachchi
- Major General Ubaya Madawela
- Major General (later General) Mahesh Senanayake
- Major General Amal Karunasekara
- Major General Dampath Fernando
- Major General (later Lieutenant General) Shavendra Silva
- Major General Sathyapriya Liyanage
- Major General Jagath Gunawardena
- Major General Prabath Dematampitiya
References
- "Army Establishment". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
- Athukorala. "Soldier, lawyer and diplomat". Daily News. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
