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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

Commander Shares His Experiences with Command &;amp; Staff College Students

Student Officers at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) Sapugaskanda, Sri Lanka’s highest seat of learning for Defence Services personnel, had the rare opportunity of listening to a lecture of the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya this morning (29). The students belonging to all three forces inclusive of a few Officers from other foreign Armies listened to this lecture as a part of their training for Passed Staff College qualification (psc) at the DSCSC.

Lieutenant General Jayasuriya was received by the Commandant DSCSC Major General N. A. Ranasinghe on arrival.

The Commander of the Army addressing the student officers said that the Army is undergoing a transitional period from a war time Army to a peacetime Army and most of the officers serving today had joined the Army during the wartime. Lieutenant General Jayasuriya went on to say that he had experienced both the wartime and peacetime in his career and therefore is aware how Army should act during peacetime.

‘Only a few officers are serving now in the Army who have joined before the war and it is the same with other forces also,’ he said. The Commander also said that the Army expanded rapidly due to the war and now the Army is reorganizing to suit to the peacetime. He stressed the importance for an Officer to have obtained psc qualification and mentioned that in the future to come this would be a mandatory qualification for a military officer to receive elevating in his career. He also explained the welfare measures taken by the Army for the officers and soldiers and the special interest taken to look after and employ disabled War Heroes.

Before the conclusion of the lecture the Commander of the Army also set apart time to answer a few questions raised by Student Officers.

Lieutenant General Jayasuriya and Major General Ranasinghe exchanged mementoes marking the event. The Commander of the Army also placed his autograph on the Visitors Book just before the wrapping up of the day’s event.