18th January 2021 11:43:14 Hours
Brigadier Nilantha Premaratne of Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment assumed office as the 19th Director of Media this morning (18) during a simple ceremony at the Army Headquarters in Sri Jayewardenepura. He succeeds Brigadier Chandana Wickramasinghe.
Amid ‘Pirith’ chanting of members of the Maha Sangha, the new Director Media signified the acceptance of his office at the auspicious minute after leaving his signature for an official document. A brief oration (Anushasana), delivered by a participating monk invoked blessings on the new office of Brigadier Nilantha Premaratne. Offer of ‘Pirikara’ to members of the Maha Sangha and posing for group photos culminated the brief ceremony.
The outgoing Director Media, Brigadier Chandana Wickramasingha, Media Advisor, Mr Sisira Wijesinghe, Colonel Media Vijitha Hettiarchchi, Colonel Media Additional Colonel Vishwajith Vidyananda, Colonel Buddhika Ferdinandez, Colonel Legal, Senior Officers, Officers and Other Ranks were present during the brief ceremony.
Brigadier Nilantha Premaratne, prior to this appointment served as the Brigade Commander in 551 Brigade of the 55 Division under the Security Force HQ-Jaffna.
Born in Kandy, he was enlisted to the Sri Lanka Army in 1990 and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1992 at the Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) Diyatalawa. Brigadier K.V.N. A Premaratne earned a Master of Arts degree in security studies (Counter terrorism: Policy & Strategies) from the Naval Postgraduate School, California, USA, and a Master degree in Defence Studies (M.Def.S) from the University of Kelaniya Sri Lanka while attending the Army Command and Staff College. Among courses he followed are the Artillery young officers' course in India and the Advanced Gunnery course in Pakistan.
His previous appointments included Battery Commander, 6 Field Regiment Sri Lanka Artillery, Officer Instructor, Sri Lanka Military Academy, Brigade Major 211 Infantry Brigade, Directing Staff Officer Study Center SLMA, Battalion Second in Command of 16 Regiment of Sri Lanka Artillery, General Staff Officer 1 (Operations) Directorate of Operations at the Sri Lanka Army Headquarters, Military Assistant to the Commander of the Army (2011-2013), Secretary to the Chief of Defence Staff (2013-2014), Commanding Officer of the 16 Regiment Sri Lanka Artillery, Chief Instructor SLMA, Commanding Officer of the Officer Cadet Wing SLMA. Further, he has also served as a Military Observer in the United Nations Mission in Western Sahara (2008 -2009).
His military decorations include the Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP) and Utthama Seva Padakkama (USP). He is the author of the book, titled “The Impact of Changing External Conditions on Counter Insurgency: The Sri Lankan Experience”. Buy Sneakers | Nike for Men
