1st August 2025
Major General S.A Hettige RSP psc, Director General of Directorate of Overseas Operations was invited to the office of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo RSP ctf-ndu psc IG, on 30 July 2025, prior to his retirement from the Sri Lanka Army after completing a distinguished military career spanning over 33 years.
Below is the brief profile of the retiring Senior Officer:
Major General S.A Hettige RSP psc enlisted in the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet to the Intake 37 (PMA) on 18 February 1992. Upon successful completion of military training at the Sri Lanka Military Academy in Diyatalawa, he was commissioned in the rank of Second Lieutenant and posted to the Gemunu Watch on 19 December 1992.
He was elevated to subsequent ranks during the course of his service and was promoted to the rank of Major General on 31 March 2025. He will retire from the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army with effect from 03 August 2025 upon reaching 55 years of age. At the time of his retirement, he was serving as the Director General of Directorate of Overseas Operations.
During his extensive career, he held a wide array of key appointments, including Platoon Commander and Officer Commanding of 1st Battalion the Gemunu Watch, General Staff Officer 3 (Security/Coordinating/Staff Duties) at Directorate of Operations in Army Headquarters, General Staff Officer 2 (Operations) at Headquarters of 51 Infantry Division, Adjutant of Defence Services Command and Staff College, Second-in-Command of 8th Battalion, the Gemunu Watch, General Staff Officer 1 (Operations) at Headquarters of 55 Infantry Division, Commanding Officer of 8th Battalion, the Gemunu Watch, Head of the Training Team at Officers Training Wing in Sri Lanka Military Academy, Senior Instructor of Defence Studies Department in Officer Career Development Centre (OCDC), General Staff Officer 1 of General Staff Branch in Army Headquarters. He further served as the Chief Instructor of Training Command at Counter Insurgency Operations and Jungle Warfare (CIOJW) in Army Training School, Staff Officer at the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Commanding Officer of Training Wing in Infantry Training Centre, Colonel (Infantry) of Directorate of Infantry at Army Headquarters, Commander of 522 Infantry Brigade, Assistant Military Secretary 3 of Military Secretary’s Branch. Assistant Military Secretary 2 of Military Secretary’s Branch, Commandant of Institute of Peace Support Operations Training Sri Lanka (IPSOTSL), Director of Directorate of Overseas Operations and Director General of Directorate of Overseas Operations.
In recognition of his dedicated and valiant service to the Sri Lanka Army, he has been awarded the Rana Sura Padakkama (Awarded two times).
He completed several local training programmes, including the Artillery Observation Course, Battalion Support Weapons Officers’ Course, Law of Armed Conflict Course, Army Command and Staff Course, Advanced Short Course on GIS and Applications (Conducted by the University of Peradeniya) and Defence Attaché Orientation Course in Defence and Diplomacy.
In terms of international exposure, he successfully completed the Young Officers’ Course in India, Officers Anti-Armour Course in Pakistan and Mid-Career Course in Pakistan.
He is a member of the Association of Accounting Technicians in Sri Lanka. He perused Foundation Course in Human Resource Management at the National Institute of Business Management (NIBM) in Sri Lanka, Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management from the University of Kelaniya, Master of Human Resource Management from the University of Kelaniya and Master of Business Management from the University of Colombo.
