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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

First Batch of ASL Graduates Pass Out in Colourful Ceremony

Effective and efficient implementation of logistic responsibilities of the Army, received an inspirational boost when the first batch of 24 officers in the Logistics Staff Course - I, trained at the Army School of Logistics (ASL) in Trincomalee, passed out in a colourful ceremony, held at the Defence Services College, Colombo 2 Monday (22) evening.

The ASL, meant to groom officers with a sound competence and professionalism in the field of logistics, adding one more feather to the Army sphere of learning, was established in May 2011 and thereby unified all other training programmes on logistics that were on at Panagoda Army Cantonment and elsewhere a few years ago.

The Logistics Staff Course - I, the maiden course of the ASL commenced in January this year with 24 officers and ended in late August after practicalities and other modalities of the ASL, were brought in place after its inauguration on the directions of the Commander of the Army Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake.

Monday’s graduation ceremony was graced by General Jagath Jayasuriya, Chief of Defence Staff as the Chief Guest at the invitation of Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, Commander of the Army. Brigadier Mihindu Kulasuriya, Commandant, ASL warmly received the Commander of the Army on arrival and ushered the day’s distinguished guests to the auditorium.

The 8-month long ASL course on logistics covered a wide range of general staff duties, roles and tasks, rules and conventions of communication, both verbal and written, principles of administration, logistics at regimental levels, log operations, terms of logistics, practical alterations and change of modules, etc with the support of learned Army Officers and eminent scholars, drawn from state sector institutions.

The graduation ceremony on Monday (22) got off the ground after arrival of the Commander of the Army and the Chief Guest for the occasion as the clock struck 4.45 p.m. A two-minute silence in commemoration of fallen War Heroes, a video documentary on the ASL and its mandate and the award of the Lsc degree to all the graduates by the Chief Guest and the Commander of the Army, followed afterwards amidst applause.

Another special feature of the occasion was the presentation of the 'Golden Log', the ASL Journal to the Commander of the Army by Brigadier Mihindu Kulasuriya, Commandant, ASL and its co-editors. The journal would enlighten all officers on the 'do’s and don’ts' in the Army.

Brigadier Mihindu Kulasuriya, in his brief address to the occasion outlined the modules that were used to make officers more acclimatized with elaborate areas of study, related to logistics in general and the Army logistics in particular. He also thanked the Commander of the Army for his unfailing support for conduct of the Course and elevating the ASL to be of international standards.

General Jagath Jayasuriya, making a brief oration to the occasion thanked everyone for making the ASL a fully-pledged institute. Several cultural features coloured the day’s ceremony.

A large gathering of senior officers, relatives of graduates and invitees were present in the ceremony.