Major General A.W.J.C De Silva RWP USP ndu psc, has been appointed as the 21st Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, effective from February 22, 2015 by President Maithripala Sirisena as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces on Friday (20).Enlisted to the Army on 6 February 1980 and commissioned to the 1 Field Engineer Regiment of the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers as a 2 Lieutenant on 18 July 1981, he was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2009. Major General Silva who counts more than 33 years of distinguished service in the Army, took office as the Chief of Staff on 1 August 2013 before he went for an overseas appointment in Moscow.
Major General De Silva who has wide-ranging experience in various command, staff and instructional appointments, commanded the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) as its Commander immediately, prior to being elevated to the post of Chief of Staff on 1 August 2013, in which office he served until 16 May 2014. He afterwards took office in May 2014 as Deputy Chief of Mission to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Moscow.
He was also the Security Force Headquarters Commander, Kilinochchi and on staff he served as the Military Secretary (January 2010-July 2010) and the Director Operations at the Army Headquarters, Commandant and Chief Instructor of the Army Command and Staff College and the Sri Lanka Military Academy at Diyatalawa, Additional Military Secretary, Brigadier General Staff at Security Forces Headquarters, General Staff Officer Grade 1 and held several other appointments.
In addition, Major General De Silva commanded the 562 Infantry Brigade, the Engineer Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army and the 6 Field Engineer Regiment of the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers.
Major General De Silva has actively contributed to counter insurgency operations against the LTTE and was awarded the gallantry medal Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP) and the Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP) for his unblemished military career.
To his credit, he has attended a number of local and foreign courses of academic and professional value, including the Young Officers Course at the prestigious Military College of Engineering Risalpur, Pakistan, the first overseas course. In addition, he has attended the Higher Command Course at the College of Combat Mhow India, Bomb Disposal Course at the College of Military Engineering Pune, India, Engineer Company Commanders’ Course at the Military College of Engineering Risalpur, Pakistan and the Advanced Security Cooperation Executive Course at the Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Hawai, USA.
He is also a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College Camberley, UK, Higher Command College Nanjing, China and the National Resilience Institute (Lembaga Ketahanan Nasional, the equivalent of National Defence University of Indonesia.
Major General De Silva, more popularly known as ‘Crishanthe’ in the organization and among his associates, is married to Nayana and blessed with twin boys.
Major General Silva who received his letter of appointment from the President Friday (20) afternoon, is to be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General after formalities are processed when he takes over.
His predecessor, Lieutenant General Daya Ratnayake, the incumbent Commander of the Army who is to go on retirement on Saturday (21) was appointed the Commander of the Army on 1 August 2013 as the 20th Commander of the Army. He relinquishes his duties on Saturday (21).
