23rd June 2025
Major General Lanka Amarapala RWP RSP ndc psc, the outgoing Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army 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 20 June 2025, prior to his retirement from the Sri Lanka Army after completing a distinguished military career spanning over 36 years.
Below is a brief profile of the retiring Senior Officer:
Major General A.H.L.G Amarapala RWP RSP ndc psc enlisted in the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet on 20 January 1989. Upon successful completion of military training at the Indian Military Academy (IMA) and the Sri Lanka Military Academy, Diyatalawa, he was commissioned in the rank of Second Lieutenant and posted to the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers on 05 April 1991. He steadily elevated through the ranks and was promoted to the rank of Major General on 18 May 2022. He will retire from the Regular Force on 23 June 2025 upon reaching the age of 55. At the time of his retirement, he was serving as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers, and Chairman of the Sri Lanka Army Golf Committee.
Throughout his distinguished career, Major General A.H.L.G Amarapala RWP RSP ndc psc held a wide range of key appointments. These included Troop Commander, 5 Field Engineer Regiment, Officer Instructor at the Sri Lanka Military Academy, Aide-De-Camp to the late Major General K.J.C Perera (Retired) RWP RSP VSV USP rcds psc, Officer Commanding of the 52 and 53 Field Squadrons, 5 Field Engineer Regiment, Officer Commanding of the Officer Cadet Wing at the Sri Lanka Military Academy, Adjutant at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence Academy, Second-in-Command of the 7 Field Engineer Regiment, Officiating General Staff Officer 1 (Operations) at Task Force 2 Headquarters, Contingent Commander of the Tri-Forces Sri Lanka Battalion for the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH), Commanding Officer of the 10 and 6 Field Engineer Regiments, Directing Staff at the Defence Services Command and Staff College, Commandant of the Sri Lanka School of Military Engineering, Deputy Senior Military Liaison Officer for the United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), Officiating Colonel (Project) at Engineer Brigade Headquarters, Deputy Centre Commandant and Overlooking Centre Commandant at the Regimental Centre of the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers, Officiating Commander of the 593 Infantry Brigade, Commander of the 122 Infantry Brigade, Director of the Directorate of Psychological Operations, General Officer Commanding of the 12 Infantry Division, Commander of the Sri Lanka Army Engineer Division, Chief Field Engineer at Army Headquarters, Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Engineer Services and Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers, Director General Financial Management at Army Headquarters, Commander, Security Forces (West) and Overall Operations Commander (Western Province and Puttalam District), Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force and Deputy Chief of Staff; the third most senior appointment in the Sri Lanka Army.
In recognition of his gallant service, he has been awarded the Rana Wickrama Padakkama and Rana Sura Padakkama.
The retiring Senior Officer has completed a number of local and overseas military courses during his career. These include the Platoon Commanders Tactics Course, Regimental Signal Officers Course, Basic Intelligence and Security Course, Basic Marksmanship Course, Unit Coaches Course, Basic Parachute Training Course, JCET Balance Style Course, Law and Armed Conflict Instructors Training Course, Army Command and Staff Course, International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights Basic Instructor Course, Humanitarian Mine Action Basic Management Course, Introductory Training Course on CBRN Response, International Humanitarian Law Course, and Sport Administrators Management Course.
In addition, he completed several foreign training programmes including the Young Officers’ Engineers Course in Pakistan, JCET Course in Japan, Humanitarian Demining Training Course in Pakistan, Combat Engineering Instructors Course in India, Bomb Disposal and IED Capsule Course in India, United Nations Military Induction Training in Haiti, Explosive Ordnance Disposal Level II Course in the United States of America, Dialogue, Negotiation and Mediation Course in Kenya, OPCW Basic Training Course in Germany, and the International Advanced Training Course on Protection Against Chemical Weapons in Pakistan.
The Senior Officer also obtained several academic and professional qualifications. These include a Certificate in Hazardous Chemical Management from the University of Peradeniya, Diploma in Management of Olympic Sport Organisations from the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, National Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Institute of Personnel Management Sri Lanka (IPM), Postgraduate Diploma in International Relations from the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies, Master of Science (Defence Studies) in Management from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Master in National Security Administration from the National Defence College of the Philippines, and Master of Philosophy (M.Phil) upgraded to Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in International Relations from the University of Colombo.
Furthermore, the Senior Officer has participated in a wide array of study tours, training events, workshops, and seminars, including the South Asian Peacekeeping Operation Training in Nepal (2000), Army Command and Staff College Tour in India (2004), Defence Services Command and Staff College Study Tours to Indonesia (2012) and Pakistan (2013), IHL Workshop at General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (2014), MPAT Tempest Express Staff Planning Workshop in Malaysia (2014), Workshops on Negotiating to Win and Strategic Thinking at the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff (2016), Non-Lethal Weapons Executive Seminar in Sri Lanka (2017), Executive Development Programme at PIM University of Sri Jayewardenepura (2017), Regional Workshop on Criminal Acts Involving Material Out of Regulatory Control in Japan (2023), IMA Alumni Interaction in India (2024), and the United Nations Peacekeeping Ministerial in Germany (2025).
