Sri Lanka Signals Corps

The Sri Lanka Signals Corps (SLSC) (Sinhalese: ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංඥා බලකාය Shri Lanka Sana Balakaya) is a combat support corps of the Sri Lanka Army,[1] 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.

Sri Lanka Signals Corps
ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංඥා බලකාය
Active19 October 1943 - Present
Country Sri Lanka
Branch Sri Lanka Army
TypeSignal corps
RoleMilitary communications
Electronic warfare
Information technology support
Cyberwarfare
Size1 signal brigade
10 regular regiments
1 volunteer regiment
Regimental HeadquartersPanagoda Cantonment, Homagama
Nickname(s)SLSC
Motto(s)ස්ථීර ක්‍ෂණික Sthira Kshanika
(Sinhala: Swift and Sure)
Colors     
MarchBegone Dull Care
Anniversaries19 October
EngagementsSri Lankan Civil War
United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti
Insurrection 1987-89
1971 Insurrection
World War II
Websitearmy.lk/signaller
Commanders
Centre CommandantColonel GGA Gunasekera USP
Regimental Sergeant MajorWarrant officer S N Senevirathna
Colonel of
the Regiment		Major general P A J Peiris ndu
Notable
commanders		Lieutenant colonel D.V. Brohier (First Commanding Officer)
Major general W.J.T.K. Fernando
Major general C.J. Abayaratne
Major general A.M.C.W.B. Senewiratne
Major general Y.S.A. de Silva
Major general T.F. Meedin
Insignia
Flag

Colonel Commandant of the SL Signals is Major General P A J Peiris ndu.Major General WPAK Thilakarathna psc is the Chief Signal Officer of the Sri Lanka Army. Brigadier W L Premasiri USP is Commander Signals Brigade, operationally in charge of all units and sub-units in the field.

The flag and cap badge feature Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, who is referred to by members of the corps as "Jimmy".

Entrance to the Signal Corps HQ

History

Established on October 19, 1943 as a part of the Ceylon Defence Force [2] it was reformed as a troop of signals February 9, 1950 following the formation of the Ceylon Army in 1949. The initial task of this troop was to provide communications between Army HQ and its branches. In 1949, the Volunteer Signals unit was commanded by Lt Col CR De Silva. By the end of 1950 this troop had 1 Officer and 17 other ranks and their tasks included establishing a signals office at Army HQ, provision of a signal dispatch service, manning a switch board and the construction and maintenance of underground as well as field cables. In May 1951 another Signals Office was established in Diyatalawa to serve the Garrison HQ which was just formed at that time. By October 1, 1951 the troop was raised to a squadron with a strength of 4 Officers and 142 other ranks.

In 1951 formal approval was granted to wear the Royal Signals badges with the additional scroll "CEYLON" on it and to adopt the Royal Signals march Begone Dull Care as the regimental march of the Ceylon Signals Corps and in 1959 the 1st Regiment of the Ceylon Signals was formed with Lt Col DV Brohier was appointed as its first Commanding Officer. In 1962 following the attempted military coup the 2nd volunteer signal regiment was disbanded and its remaining personnel transferred to form the National Service Regiment (NSR).

In 1972 with Sri Lanka proclaiming itself a republic, the Corps was renamed as the Sri Lanka Signals Corps. In 1980 a new Volunteer squadron was raised. The Corps has expanded to a level of a Signals Brigade with integral signals units under HQ Chief Signal Officer at the highest level of command in performing the classic role. The Signals Corps provides support to the combat and support arms by providing communications, electronic warfare and information technology support in the battle field and at the rear. All these signal units and sub-units administratively come under the aegis of the Regimental Centre located at Army Cantonment, Panagoda.

Organization
Unit Established Commanding Officer Base
HQ Chief Signal Officer 12 March 2007 Major General WPAK Thilakaratne psc Army Headquarters - Akuregoda
Directorate of Information Technology 1 March 2010 Major General PAJ Peiris ndu Panagoda Cantonment
HQ Signal Brigade 1 June 1988 Brigadier WL Premasiri USP Panagoda Cantonment
RHQ SLSC 19 October 1990 Colonel GGA Gunasekera USP Panagoda Cantonment
1 SLSC 14 October 1958 Lieutenant Colonel HGJT Perera RSP Mullaitivu
3 SLSC 9 March 1989 Lieutenant Colonel NPA Mendis psc Palaly
4 SLSC 1 April 1991 Lieutenant Colonel MADS Muthugala USP Anuradhapura
5 SLSC 1 March 1994 Lieutenant Colonel DMIS Bandara Padukka
6 SLSC (IT) 3 December 1996 (RFT Unit)16 June 2014

(Information Technology Unit)

 Lieutenant Colonel S H L D Fernando Jaffna
7 SLSC 1 December 2007 Lieutenant Colonel MR Hameem USP Diyatalawa
9 SLSC 21 April 2008 Lieutenant Colonel MPCB Jayashantha USP Kilinochchi
10 SLSC (CT) 13 August 2000
(as the Signal Base workshop)24 April 2015		 Lieutenant Colonel AMT Amarakoon psc Panagoda Cantonment
11 SLSC (IT) 23 August 1990
(as the Electronic Data Processing Unit)21 September 2010		 Lieutenant Colonel SD Kothalawala RSP Panagoda Cantonment
12 SLSC (CS) 10 July 2015 Lieutenant Colonel ENP Gunawardana USP Panagoda Cantonment
2 (V) SLSC 7 August 1980
(as the 1st (Volunteer) Squadron)13 April 1999		 Lieutenant Colonel AAT Somarathna USP Welikanda

The Corps also runs a School of Signals[3] in Kandy, established on 15 July 1991. The School is currently under the command of Col SJKD Jayawardena USP psc, with Major KVA Kodikara psc serving as Chief Instructor. The Sri Lanka Army established a Directorate of Information Technology under the Signal Corps on 1 March 2010; its current Director is Major General P A J Peiris ndu.

Independent Signal Squadron
  • AHQ Independent Signal Squadron
  • Independent Composite Signal Squadron
  • EW Squadron
  • PA Squadron
  • LED Squadron

Past command staff

Centre Commandants
NameFromTo
Colonel K.A. Gnanaweera1990.10.191992.10.01
Colonel H.G.N. Padmasiri1992.10.011994.09.01
Colonel M.A. Wipulaguna1994.09.011996.10.19
Colonel K.S. Liyanage1997.02.051999.01.13
Colonel Piyal Abeysekera1999.01.131999.11.11
Lieutenant Colonel A.T. Banagoda1999.11.112001.04.06
Colonel H.M.H.A. Herath2001.04.062002.05.08
Colonel T.F. Meedin RSP Ldmc MMS MIT2002.05.082003.08.10
Colonel S.A.P.P. Samarasinghe2003.08.102005.01.03
Colonel R.A. Kaduwela2005.01.032006.02.08
Colonel K.R.P. Rowel2006.02.082007.11.30
Colonel R.A.S. Ranasinghe2007.12.062009.10.30
Colonel M.T. Vaidyaratne2009.10.302010.04.24
Colonel D.R. Dharmasiri2010.04.242010.06.10
Colonel H.P. Seneviratne2010.06.102010.10.05
Brigadier HP Seneviratne2010.10.052011.02.06
Lieutenant Colonel L.S.P. Perera (Officiating)2011.02.062011.05.02
Colonel D.R. Dharmasiri2011.05.022014. 07.25
Colonel N.P. Akuranthilake2014.07.252017. 01.10
Brigadier P.A.J. Peiris2017.01.102018.07.18
Brigadier L.S.P Perera USP2018.07.182020.09.22
Colonel G.G.A. Gunasekara USP2020.09.23up to date

Colonel Commandants
NameFromTo
Brigadier C.J. Abeyratne1988.07.151991.04.01
Brigadier F.C.J. De Silva1991.04.021991.10.15
Brigadier C.J. Abeyratne1991.10.161992.05.01
Colonel K.A. Gnanaweera1992.05.021993.06.27
Colonel H.G.N. Padmasiri1993.06.281993.12.01
Brigadier A.M.C.W.B. Seneviratne1993.12.021994.05.01
Colonel H.G.N. Padmasiri1994.05.021996.10.20
Colonel M.A. Wipulaguna1996.10.211996.12.11
Colonel W.D.N. Premasiri1996.12.121999.02.20
Colonel Y.S.A. de Silva1999.02.212003.03.12
Colonel Piyal Abeysekera2003.03.132003.08.21
Brigadier Y.S.A. de Silva2003.08.222004.05.14
Brigadier Piyal Abeysekera2004.07.292005.12.26
Brigadier T.F. Meedin RSP Ldmc MMS MIT2005.12.272009.07.21
Major General S A P P Samarasinghe RSP psc2009.07.222011.08.29
Major General R A Kaduwela2011.08.302013.04.10
Major General K R P Rowel RWP USP ndu psc2013.10.042017.04.11
Major General B H M A Wijesinghe USP ndu psc2017.04.112019.04.26
Major General N M Hettiarachchi USP psc Hdmc MMS2019.04.262020.02.24
Major General D A P N Dematanpitiya ndu psc2020.02.262021.01.14
Major General P A J Peiris ndu2021.01.15up to date
  • Lieutenant Colonel Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, RWP, RSP - President of Sri Lanka
  • Lieutenant Colonel DV Brohier - First Commanding Officer, Ceylon Signals Corps
  • Lieutenant Colonel Basil R. Jesudasan - former Commanding Officer, 2nd Volunteer Signals, Ceylon Signals Corps & accused conspirator in the 1962 coup d'état attempt
  • Major General Piyal Abeysekera (also known as E.P. de Z. Abeysekera) USP, MSc - former Deputy Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army
  • Major General W.J.T.K. Fernando psc - former CO, 1SLSC
  • Major General C.J. Abayaratna VSV, USP - 1st Colonel Commandant, SLSC, former Signals Brigade Commander & former CO, 1SLSC
  • Major General A.M.C.W.B. Senewiratne VSV, USP, psc - 4th Colonel Commandant, SLSC & former CO, 3 SLSC
  • Major General Y.S.A. de Silva USP - 5th Colonel Commandant, SLSC, former Signals Brigade Commander & former CO 4 SLSC
  • Major General Tuan Fadyl Meedin RSP, Ldmc - 6th Colonel Commandant, SLSC, 1st Chief Signals Officer (CSO), Chief Innovations Officer (CIO), Signals Brigade Commander, Chief Controller- Centre for Research & Development (MOD), Centre Commandant & former CO- 1 SLSC

Alliances

Order of precedence
Preceded by
Sri Lanka Engineers		 Order of Precedence Succeeded by
Sri Lanka Light Infantry

Abbreviation

References
  1. http://www.army.lk/
  2. http://www.sundaytimes.lk/061105/Plus/pls1.html
  3. http://www.army.lk/signaller/schoolofsignals
  4. http://www.army.lk/medals
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