Logisticians, including Foreign Ones in School for Scholar Warriors at Trincomalee Receive Graduation

Infused with all aspects of logistics, one more group of 26 middle-grade officers, including two foreign military officers from Nepal and Bangladesh, two officers from Sri Lanka Navy, and an Officer from Sri Lanka Air Force who followed the one-year-long Logistics Staff Course - No 7 (LSC) at Trincomalee-based Army School of Logistics (ASL) passed out during a formal military ceremony, held this afternoon (27) at Naval Marine Academy in Trincomalee.

Those ASL Scholar Warriors received their graduate parchments and accolades from General Shavendra Silva, Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army who graced the simple ceremony as the Chief Guest and also in the presence of a gathering of distinguished invitees, Senior Officers and staff Officers.

At the entrance to the Academy premises, the Army Chief was greeted to special Naval honours before he was ushered to the auditorium at the Naval Marine Academy as melodies of the Army band began renting the air. At the location, the day's Chief Guest was received by Major General Channa Weerasoriya, Commander, Security Forces East, Major General Priyanka Fernando, Director General General Staff, Major General Nishantha Manage, Commandant, Sri Lanka Army Training Command and the ASL Commandant, Brigadier Ranjan Jayasekara.

After the ASL Commandant delivered the welcome note, the proceedings invited the day’s Chief Guest for award of symbolic parchments containing degree certificates to all 26 graduates as roars of applause reverberated.

Another special feature of the occasion was the presentation of the two most prestigious ASL awards. Accordingly, the ‘Best Logistic Planner’ award went to Major M.D Ariful Islam of Bangladesh Army and the ‘Best Overall Performance in the LSC - No 7’ award to Major N.D.E.S Silva of Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (SLEME).

In his speech to the occasion, General Shavendra Silva as the day’s protagonist outlined the importance of following professional courses on Logistics and their application for the betterment of any organization. He also extended his best wishes particularly to foreign graduates for being part of the Course, amid looming health threats in the world.

Afterwards, the ASL’s official journal ‘Golden Log’ was launched as another formality on the agenda. The maiden copy was handed over to the Army Chief, the Chief Guest for the event and other Senior Officers gracing the occasion. Towards the conclusion of the day’s proceedings, the ASL Commandant adding memories and showing sentiments of gratitude presented a special memento to the day’s Chief Guest.

The ASL Course on Logistics covers a wide range of general staff duties, roles and tasks, rules and conventions of communication, both verbal and written orders, principles of administration, logistics at regimental levels, logistic operations, terms of logistics, practical alterations and change of modules, etc with the support of Army Officers (instructors) and eminent scholars, drawn from state sector institutions, including the Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), to which the ASL is now affiliated. The Army School of Logistics (ASL), established in May 2011 unified all other training programmes on Logistics that were held at Panagoda Army Cantonment and elsewhere a few years ago.

The graduation ceremony was graced by Major General Priyanka Fernando, Director General General Staff - Army Headquarters, Major General Channa Weerasuriya, Commander, Security Forces- East, Principal Staff Officers, Directors, Senior Officers, Officers, scholars and several other invitees of high profile.

The Army School of Logistics was inaugurated on 9th May 2011 in order to fulfill this much-awaited requirement, with a view to resurrecting the logisticians with acquaintance of modern theories and practices of logistics planning and management. The Army School of Logistics is accredited to the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University to award the Post Graduate Diploma in Logistics Management, to be awarded for the successful participants of the Logistics Staff Course.