Commandant of the Volunteer Force
Commandant Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) has been the title of the head of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. The post is held by a regular officer of the rank of major general and is the fourth senior position in the army. Commandant is in charge of the Volunteer Force Headquarters and is assisted by a deputy commandant.
History
Established in 1956 as the Commandant Ceylon Volunteer Force, it was head by the second-ranking member of the General Staff from 1956 to 1966. Since 1966, it became the third-ranking after that of Commander of the Army and Chief of Staff. In the early 1990s with the creation of the post of Deputy Chief of Staff it became the fourth-ranking position in the army and has become a two-star (major general) since the early 1980s.[1]
List of commandants
- Colonel (later Major General) H. W. G. Wijeyekoon (Regular Army)
- Colonel Maurice De Mel (Regular Army)
- Colonel (later Major General) Bertram Heyn (Regular Army)
- Colonel S. D. Ratwatte, ED (Volunteer Force)
- Brigadier (later General) Tissa Weerathunga, VSV, jssc (Regular Army)
- Major General (later Lieutenant General) Henry Athukorale, VSV, psc (Regular Army)
- Brigadier (later General) Nalin Seneviratne, VSV, ndc (Regular Army)
- Brigadier (later Major General) E. G. Thevanayagam, VSV (Regular Army)
- Brigadier (later General) Hamilton Wanasinghe, VSV, ndc (Regular Army)
- Brigadier B. K. V. J. E. Rodrigo, VSV (Regular Army)
- Major General Y. Balaretnarajah, USP, ndc (Regular Army)
- Major General (later General) G. H. De Silva, RSP, ndc (Regular Army)
- Major General (later Field Marshal) Sarath Fonseka, RWP, USP, rcds, psc (Regular Army)
- Major General (posthumous Lieutenant General) Parami Kulatunga, RSP, USP (Regular Army)
- Major General Sharman Kulatunga, RSP, USP, ndc, psc (Regular Army)
- Major General Somadasa Hapuaratchi (Regular Army)
- Major General Lawrence Fernando (Regular Army)
- Major General Sumith Balasuriya, USP, ndc, IG (Regular Army)
- Major General Jagath Gunawardena (Regular Army)
References
- Athukorala. "Soldier, lawyer and diplomat". Daily News. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
