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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

30th May 2020 18:31:12 Hours

Commander Lauds Retiring Chief of Staff's Service to the Motherland & Army

Major General S. D. T Liyanage, Chief of Staff of the Army and Colonel Commandant of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC), more popularly known as Sathyapriya Liyanage on the eve of his retirement from the Army after a record professional military career of more than 36 years of valour and fearless leadership made his final courtesy call on Thursday (28) on Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army. He is also his contemporary in his Intake-19 at the Sri Lanka Military Academy at Diyatalawa.

Both of them enlisted to the Army on 5 March 1984 ( Intake-19 Long Course), Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva refreshed their memories during training, battlefield encounters, dreadful experiences, gallant acts against the enemy during humanitarian operations and outgoing batch mate's professional dedication to the growth of the organization. Major General Sathyapriya Liyanage, one of the most respected senior war veterans, ever produced by the Army was handpicked to raise and command the Task Force - 3 during the Humanitarian Operations where he commanded the Task Force until the successful termination of the operations against the terrorists after the battles reached their peak. Subsequently, he served as the General Officer Commanding of the 52 Infantry Division, 55 Division and the 64 Infantry Division respectively.

Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva expressed his deep sense of gratitude to the outgoing batch mate while extending his warm best wishes for his future undertakings and spoke high of his integrity, dedication and commitment throughout, particularly when the country's own existence was at risk. Symbolic of warm ties, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva awarded him exceptionally-produced several gifts as mementos on the same occasion in a touching gesture of friendship. He also assured that the traditional farewell ceremony of the Army would be hosted in his honour soon after normalcy is restored upon eradication of the COVID-19 virus. Towards the end of the interaction, the retiring Senior Officer also thanked the Commander of the Army for all the support and comradeship he extended during his military career as a batch mate. Here follows a brief profile of the retiring Senior Officer.

Major General Sathyapriya Liyanage, being one of the contemporaries to retire from the Intake-19, is a recipient of several gallantry medals and military decorations, including the highest gallantry medal, Weera Wickrama Vibhushanaya (WWV) and Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP) for his bravery in the battlefield. In recognition of his services to the Army, he has also been awarded Purna Bhumi Padakkama, North and East Operations Medal, Sri Lanka Army 50th Anniversary Medal, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, Riviresa Campaign Service Medal with clasp, 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal, East Humanitarian Operation Medal and North Humanitarian Operation Medal.

The outgoing Chief of Staff as a Staff Officer has served numerous appointments such as Colonel Military Secretary at the Army Headquarters, Brigadier General Staff Security Force Headquarters Jaffna, Director General Operations and Systems at the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff, Military Liaison Officer at the Ministry of Defence and the Master General Ordnance at the Army Headquarters. Some of the military disciplines he has hitherto followed include Young Officers’ Course, Auto Instructor Course and Senior Command Course in India, Mid-Career Course in Pakistan, Defence Services Command and Staff Course in Bangladesh, Armoured Officers’ Advanced Course in USA and National Defence College Course in India. Some of the other significant command appointments that he has held include Commanding Officer of 4th Armoured Regiment, Town Commandant of Trincomalee, Commander of 523 Infantry Brigade and Commander Armoured Brigade.

In addition to his distinguished military career, as an academic, Major General Sathyapriya Liyanage has completed the Diploma in Diplomacy and Foreign Affairs at the Bandaranaike International Diplomatic Training Institute and Diploma in Defence Management in India. He secured a First Class in his Masters’ degree program at the University of Madras in India for Philosophy. He also has participated in the Executive Seminar on ‘System Reform Challenges and Opportunities’ at the South Asia Centre for Strategic Studies in Washington DC and attended the Seminar on ‘Counter Terrorism and Violent Extremism in Maldives’.

Major General Liyanage is a proud product of Thurstan College, Colombo where he showed prowess in the field of sports, particularly in Cricket, Rugby Football, Athletics and Cadeting. In recognition of his contribution to the field of Rugby Football and Cricket, he was awarded College Colours for both games. Upon successful completion of the secondary education, he joined the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army on 5 March 1984 as an Officer Cadet and completed basic military training at the Sri Lanka Military Academy Diyatalawa before he was commissioned to the prestigious 1st Reconnaissance Regiment of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps in the rank of Second Lieutenant on 16 November 1985.Running sport media | Air Jordan 1 Retro High OG 'University Blue' — Ietp