5th June 2025
Major General M.S Devapriya USP ndc was invited to the Office of the Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Lasantha Rodrigo RSP ctf-ndu psc IG, along with his family members on 05 June 2025, prior to his retirement from the Sri Lanka Army after completing a distinguished career spanning 34 years.
Brief Profile of the Retiring Senior Officer:
Major General M.S. Devapriya USP ndc enlisted in the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet on 09 January 1990. Upon successful completion of military training at the Sri Lanka Military Academy - Diyatalawa, he was commissioned in the rank of Second Lieutenant and posted to the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps on 15 June 1991. After being steadily elevated to subsequent ranks in the course of his service in the Army, he was promoted to the rank of Major General on 18 May 2023. The Senior Officer retires from the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army with effect from 13 June 2025 on reaching 55 years of age. At the time of his retirement, he was holding the appointment of Quarter Master General, Army Headquarters.
Throughout his career, Major General M.S. Devapriya USP ndc held a number of key appointments, including Troop Leader of the 1st and 3rd Reconnaissance Regiments of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, Second-in-Command and Officer Commanding of Sabre Squadron in the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment, Technical Adjutant in the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment, Officer Commanding (Administration) at the Regimental Centre of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, and Officer Commanding of Headquarter Squadron, 5th Reconnaissance Regiment. He also served as Officer Instructor and Officer Commanding of the Officer Cadet Wing at the Sri Lanka Military Academy. Other significant appointments included Officer Commanding of the Headquarter Squadron in the 6th Reconnaissance Regiment, Second-in-Command of the 8th (Reinforcement) Regiment, Overlooking Commanding Officer and Second-in-Command of the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, and Commanding Officer of both the 8th (Reinforcement) and 5th Reconnaissance Regiments of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps.
He served as the Force Protection Company Commander and Contingent Commander of the Sri Lanka Force Protection Company (SLFPC) in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Additionally, he functioned as the Senior Coordinator at the Media Centre for National Security (MCNS) under the Ministry of Defence, Deputy Centre Commandant of the Regimental Centre, Colonel (General Staff) at Security Force Headquarters (West), Commander of the 511 Infantry Brigade, Centre Commandant of the Regimental Centre, Deputy General Officer Commanding of the 22 Infantry Division, Director Operations and Director General Operations at the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (OCDS), General Officer Commanding of the 64 Infantry Division, Colonel Commandant of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, and finally as Quarter Master General at Army Headquarters.
In recognition of his dedicated and unblemished service, Major General M.S Devapriya USP ndc was awarded the Utthama Seva Padakkama.
The Senior Officer has successfully completed numerous local and overseas military training programmes. Locally, these included the Young Officers Course, Second-in-Commanders Refresher Course, Information Systems Executive Certificate Special Course conducted by the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology (SLIIT), the Army Command and Staff Course, Law and Armed Conflict Course, Potential Unit Commanders Course, United Nations Civil-Military Coordination Officers’ Course, International Humanitarian Law Training of Trainers Course, and the National Security and Strategic Studies Course.
His international training comprised the Auto Instructor Officers Course and Combat Team Commanders Course in India, the Young Officers (Armour) Course in Pakistan, and the Combat Group Commanders Course in India.
The Senior Officer obtained a Master of Science in National Security and Strategic Studies from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University.
He also took part in several study tours, including the Overseas Study Tour of the Army Command and Staff College in India in 2005. He visited the Czech Republic in 2008 in conjunction with a tank inspection, participated in the South Asia Regional Civil Affairs Subject Matter Expert Exchange (Virtual) held in Sri Lanka in 2018, attended the Training Programme on Managing Defence in the Wider Security Context (Virtual) at the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in 2021, and the Seminar on Blue Economy Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Cooperation for Indian Ocean Rim Countries held in China in 2024.
