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Sri Lanka Army

Defender of the Nation

Published on - 6/28/2004

CDS &; ARMY CHIEF LT. GEN BALAGALLE BIDS AU REVOIR

\"If a man does his best, what else is there\"-General George Patton (Jr.)

Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General L. P Balagalle after an illustrious career of nearly forty years of military service in the Sri Lanka Army relinquishes his duties as the 16th Commander of the Army on 30 June 2004. In his formal farewell speech delivered on Monday (28) afternoon at the Army Headquarters, retiring Lt. Gen Balagalle commended all his Senior Officers for the remarkable and marvellous cooperation extended to him during his tenure of office.

Lt. Gen Lionel Piyananda Balagalle took office as Commander of the Army on 24th August 2000 and was subsequently appointed to the exalted military office of the Chief of Defence Staff as Head for tri-services on 10th October 2003 to coincide with the Army Day. It was the first time a serving Commander was made a Chief for Armed Forces in Sri Lanka.

Lt. Gen Balagalle during his distinguished career, to his credit remains the first Sri Lankan trained Cadet to command the Army, the first Officer cadet trained in the Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa to be appointed as the Commander of the Army, the first to raise the Intelligence arm for the Army, the first Director of Military Intelligence in the Army, the first Senior Most Artillery Officer deployed with Artillery guns in its classic role in the northeast and the first foreign Army Chief/ Chief of Defence Staff to visit the Line of Control after the ceasefire agreement between Pakistan and India was signed.

Lt. Gen Lionel Piyananda Balagalle, enlisted to the Army as an Officer Cadet on 05th April 1965 was commissioned on 05th April 1967 as a second Lieutenant and posted to the 4th Regiment, Sri Lanka Artillery. His overseas training includes National Defence College Course in India (Jan-Dec 1996), Intelligence Security Administration Course in UK (September 1989), Long Gunnery Staff Officers Course at School of Artillery in India ( August 1977-September 1978), Intelligence Staff Officers Course in Pune, India (August 1975-October 1975), Young Officers Course at School of Artillery, India (September 1971-February 1972) and the Officer Cadet Course at the Diyatalawa Army Training Centre.

Among key appointments held by Lt. Gen Balagalle were the office of the Chief of Staff, Deputy Chief of Staff, Security Forces Commander, Wanni, Security Forces Commander, Jaffna, Colonel Commandant of Military Intelligence Corps, General Officer Commanding, 51 Division (Jaffna), General Officer Commanding Task Force 2 for Elephant Pass, Pooneryn, Mullaitivu and Vavuniya areas, Commander Artillery Brigade, Commander, Area Headquarters Wanni and Commander 4 Brigade (May 1994-1995), Director Military Intelligence and Commanding Officer Military Intelligence Corps, Army Headquarters, Principal Staff Officer, Joint Operations Command and General Staff Officer one at Joint Operations Command until he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General and appointed as Commander of the Army and subsequently as Chief of Defence Staff.

In recognition of his contribution to his outstanding military career, he was honoured and awarded the laurels, including two Gallantry Awards, Rana Wickrema Padakkama (RWP) and Rana Soora Padakkama (RSP), three Distingushed service medals, Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya (VSV), Uththama Seva Padakkama (USP) and Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal and Clasp, President's Inauguration Medal, Fiftieth Independence Commemoration Medal, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force Centenary Medal.

Lt Gen Balagalle, held in high esteem for his operational duties was also conferred with Vadamarachchi Medal, Riviresa Operational Medal, Purna Bhumi Padakkama, and the North and East Operations Medal with Clasp. During his tenure as Commander Security Forces, Wanni, he conducted a series of successful operations in Wanni, including capture of Oddisudan (Rivibala 1998), West of Mankulam, Vannivilankulam, Mundimurippu, Iranai, Iluppaikulam and Poovasankulam (Ranagosha-1 1999), West of Mundimuruppu, Palampiddy, Madhu camp, Madhu Road junction where the sacred Marada Madhu church stands, linking with Poovarasakulam (Ranagosha -2 ), northeast of Periyamadu (Rangosha -3) and the area stretch from Palampiddy to Veditalativu coastal line, popularly identified as the Rice Bowl of Mannar, the Green Belt (Ranagosha-4).

During his stay in Jaffna as General Officer Commanding 51 Division as well as Commander Security Forces, Jaffna, he initiated the first transparent system accountable to all within the organization, enabling the Army to maintain a very high standard of Human Rights which consequently did credit to the Army and won international appreciation. Above all, this awareness assisted the Army largely to win hearts and minds of the people during minor-scale operations.

The outgoing Army Chief participated in a number of high level overseas assignments and international conferences. The sixth Chiefs of Defence Staff Conference in Hawai, third Pacific Armies Chiefs Conference in Seoul, Korea, fifth Chiefs of Defence Conference in Singapore, Multinational Platoon Exercise (MPE) closing ceremony in Nepal, Biennial Conference of the Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Hawai, Pacific Armies Management Seminar (PAMS) in Bangladesh, Official visits to UK and India, etc, to name a few.

Lt. Gen Balagalle's tenure of office also saw the birth of the first-ever Institute of Peace Support Operations Training, Sri Lanka (IPSOTSL) at Kukuleganga, an initiative adopted under the auspices of the United Nations and the US Army Pacific Command where soldiers of participating nations could be trained to achieve interoperability during UN peacekeeping missions. To his credit, Sri Lankan Army soldiers have also been now granted opportunities for future UN peacekeeping assignments.

The athlete cum senior school prefect , Lt Gen Balagalle is an old product of Ananda College, Colombo, and excelled in cadetting having obtained college colours. Lt. Gen Balagalle is married to Mrs Gnana Balagalle and has three children, two daughters, Nirmala and Vishaka and the son, Lakmal. Lakmal is presently serving in the Regiment of Artillery as a young Officer. Lt. Gen Balagalle is a grand father of two grand children.