Maldives’ Chief of Defence Force Honoured in Military Formalities

Major General Abdulla Shamaal, Chief of Maldives’ National Defence Force who was in Sri Lanka to attend the ‘Colombo Defence Seminar’ sessions was honoured at the Army Headquarters on Friday (30) on the sidelines of the Seminar.

Soon after his arrival at the Army Headquarters, he was greeted to a Guard Turnout after Lieutenant Colonel Indika Perera, Commanding Officer, Headquarter Battalion at the Army Headquarters received him.

A few minutes later, Major General Jayantha Seneviratne, Adjutant General at the Army Headquarters welcomed him and ushered him to the special dais to receive the Guard of Honour salute, presented by Sri Lanka Artillery troops.

Having received him at the entrance to the Commander’s Secretariat, Major General Ruwan De Silva, Military Secretary afterwards conducted him to the Commander’s Office where brief cordial discussions ensued.

During interactions, the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva thanked the Maldives’ Chief of Defence Force for his participation in the Seminar and discussed a few matters of regional and bilateral relevance. Discussions also underlined the importance of maintaining good relations and cooperation between both Sri Lankan and Maldivian armed forces.

Commander of the Army towards the end of the interaction awarded a goodwill memento to the visiting Chief of Defence Force. Major General Abdulla Shamaal left his compliments in the VIP visitors’ book at the Commander’s office.

A Senior Liaison Officer of the visiting military officer was also associated with the Commander’s meeting.

Here is a brief profile of Major General Abdulla Shamaal;

Major General Abdulla Shamaal was appointed as the Chief of Defence Force (CDF) on 11th December 2018 by His Excellency President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

General Shamaal has held various Command, Staff and Instructional appointments, which include the Command of the MNDF Male’ Area, Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) and the Marine Corps. His senior staff appointments were the Director General of International Defence Cooperation & Policy at the Ministry of Defence, Principal Director – Military Liaison, Executive Officer of Quick Reaction Force 3 and Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of Staff. Additionally, General Shamaal has the privilege of being the country’s first Military Attaché in a diplomatic mission abroad, serving as the Defence Advisor at the Maldives High Commission in New Delhi, India.

General Shamaal was born on 5th July 1969 and was enlisted in the MNDF in 1988. He was commissioned to the rank of Lieutenant after graduating from the Pakistan Military Academy with the achievement of best allied cadet from the course. Since then he has completed various trainings locally and abroad, including the Special Task Force Training and NCO Cadre Course from Maldives, Infantry Officers Basic Course and Infantry Officers Advance Course in United States Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Georgia and the Defence Services Staff College Course from Wellington, India. General Shamaal also attended the NESA Center for Strategic Studies in Washington DC, USA, Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies in Hawaii, USA and participated in various regional seminars and conferences on defence and security strategy.

General Shamaal is a graduate of the National Defence University (NDU), Washington DC, USA, where he attended the International Counterterrorism Fellowship Program and obtaining a Master of Arts (MA) Degree in Strategic Security Studies. He was awarded the Distinguished Honor Graduate of the course with his thesis nominating as an honor thesis. Furthermore, he also holds a MA Degree in Defence and Security Analysis from University of Lancaster, United Kingdom since 1999 and MSc. Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies from University of Madras, India since 2003.

General Shamaal is recognized for his instrumental role in the formulation of the Strategic Defence Directive (SDD) published by the Ministry of Defence in 2009 setting the new strategic vision for the defence force and also for his effort towards implementing a National Security Framework in the Maldives. In 2012 he became the first Maldivian to be inducted to the United Nations Roster of Senior Experts on Security Sector Reform (SSR).

In recognition of his distinguished service General Shamaal has been decorated with 16 service medals and ribbons, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Presidential Medal, Dedicated Service Medal, Defence Force Service Medal, Good Conduct Medal, 3rd November Medal and the Centenary Medal.

General Shamaal is married to Fathimath Firasha and has three daughters, Fathimath Yasmeen Shamaal, Aishath Yara Shamaal and Aminath Emma Shamaal. Nike footwear | Nike Air Max 270 - Deine Größe bis zu 70% günstiger