Chief of Staff of the Army
Incumbent
Vacant
Sri Lanka Army
TypeVery senior army post
StatusTwo star general
AbbreviationCOS
Reports toCommander of the Army
ResidenceColombo
SeatArmy HQ
NominatorPresident of Sri Lanka
AppointerPresident of Sri Lanka
Term lengthNot fixed
PrecursorChief of General Staff
Formation1949
First holderLt. Col. Anton Muttukumaru
DeputyDeputy Chief of Staff

Chief of Staff of the Army (CoSA) has been the title of the second in command of the Sri Lanka Army. The post is held by a regular officer of the rank of major general and is the second senior position in the army. Chief of staff is charged with assisting the Army Commander in both operational and administrative aspects, functioning as the Acting Army Commander in his absences or incantation. Chief of staff is assisted by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army.[1]

History

The post was established in 1949, when Lieutenant Colonel Anton Muttukumaru was appointed as chief of staff to Brigadier the Earl of Caithness, the first Army Commander when the Ceylon Army was formed. The post was thereafter held by one of the senior most officers in the Ceylon Army, usually of the rank of colonel. In 1955, Colonel Gerard Wijeyekoon held the post and served as Acting Army Commander, while Brigadier Muttukumaru attend Imperial Defence College. On his return in 1956 Brigadier Muttukumaru assumed command of the army and Colonel Wijeyekoon was transferred to the newly created post of Commandant of the Volunteer Force which became the second most senior post in the army. Since 1966, it became the third-ranking after that of Army Commander. In the 1970s the post became a Brigadier's posting In the early 1990s the post of Deputy Chief of Staff was created. The post of chief of staff has become a major general's posting since the early 1980s.[2]

List of chiefs of staff

No Chief of Staff Took office Left office Unit of commission Notes
1Lieutenant Colonel Anton Muttukumaru10 October 194931 December 1953Ceylon Light InfantryLater Lieutenant ColonelAnton Muttukumaru was appointed as 3rd Commander of the Army and promoted to Major General.
2Lieutenant Colonel H.W.G. Wijeyekoon1 January 195409 February 1955Ceylon Light InfantryLater Lieutenant Colonel H. W. G. Wijeyekoon was appointed as 4th Commander of the Army and promoted to Major General.
3Colonel Maurice de Mel10 February 195513 November 1959Ceylon Garrison Artillery
4Colonel Bertram Heyn13 November 19591 December 1962Ceylon Light InfantryLater Colonel Bertram Heyn was appointed as 6th Commander of the Army and promoted to Brigadier. Later he was promoted to Major General.
5Colonel Richard Udugama1 December 196214 November 1963Ceylon Light InfantryLater Colonel Richard Udugama was appointed as 5th Commander of the Army and promoted to Brigadier. He was later promoted to the rank of Major General.
6Colonel Sepala Attygalle21 March 196422 September 1967Ceylon Light InfantryLater Colonel Sepala Attygalle was appointed as 7th Commander of the Army and promoted to General on his retirement.
7Colonel P. D. Ramayanayake26 March 19665 January 1967Ceylon EngineersOfficiated while Colonel Sepala Attygalle following his Imperial Defence College course in London.
8Brigadier M. A. Jayaweera1 February 19691 February 1974Ceylon Light Infantry
9Brigadier E. T. De Z Abeysekera1 February 19743 May 1976Ceylon Light Infantry
10Brigadier C. T. Caldera3 May 19761 April 1977Ceylon Light Infantry
11Brigadier Denis Perera5 August 197713 October 1977Ceylon EngineersLater Brigadier Denis Perera was appointed as 8th Commander of the Army and promoted to Major General. On his retirement he was promoted to Lieutenant General. In 2007 he was promoted to General.
12Brigadier T. S. B. Sally1 December 197715 March 1979Ceylon Light InfantryOn two occasions (18 February 1978 and 16 October 1978) Brig Sally was acting Commander of the Army when the Commander was overseas on assignments. He was the last officer from the Ceylon Defence Force to leave active service.
13Brigadier Tissa Weerathunga18 March 197914 October 1981Ceylon Light InfantryLater Brigadier Tissa Weerathunga was appointed as 9th Commander of the Army and promoted to Major General. On his retirement he was promoted to Lieutenant General and appointed as first General Officer Commanding of the Joint Operation Command.
14Brigadier Cyril Ranatunga15 February 19824 February 1983Ceylon Light InfantryHe retired as COS and later was recalled from retirement in September 1985 and promoted to the rank of Lieutenant General, to serve as the General Officer Commanding, Joint Operations Command (JOC).
15Brigadier Mano Madawela18 August 198324 September 1986Gemunu WatchAfter Brigadier Cyril Ranatunga's retirement, post of Chief of Staff was vacant for around 8 months before Brigadier Mano Madawala's appointment.
16Brigadier E. G. Thevanayagam1 October 198610 January 1987Ceylon Light Infantry
17Brigadier J. G. Balthazar10 January 19875 December 1987Ceylon Light Infantry
18Major General C. A. M. N. Silva15 December 19874 July 1988Ceylon Light Infantry
19Major General Hamilton Wanasinghe15 July 198816 August 1988Ceylon ArtilleryLater Major General Hamilton Wanasinghe was appointed as 11th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General and appointed as the general officer commanding (GOC) of the Joint Operations Headquarters (JOH) serving from 1991 to 1993.
20Major General S.M.A. Jayawardena16 August 198818 March 1989Ceylon Light Infantry
21Major General Cecil Waidyaratne23 March 198916 November 1991Ceylon Armoured CorpsLater Major General Cecil Waidyaratne was appointed as 12th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.
22Major General J. R. S de Silva16 November 199110 June 1992Ceylon Engineers
23Major General Y. Balaretnarajah10 June 199230 September 1992Ceylon Armoured Corps
24Major General G. H. de Silva23 October 19921 January 1994Ceylon Sinha RegimentLater Major General G. H. De Silva was appointed as 13th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.
25Major General Lakshman Algama1 January 19942 April 1995Gemunu Watch
26Major General Rohan Daluwatte2 June 19951 May 1996Ceylon Armoured CorpsLater Major General Rohan Daluwatte was appointed as 14th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General. After his retirement, he was appointed Chairman of the newly created Joint Operations Bureau, however he was reinstated to active service with the formation of the post of Chief of Defence Staff.
27Major General A.M.U. Seneviratne1 May 199610 December 1996
28Major General H.S. Hapuarachchi11 December 199622 February 1998Ceylon Sinha Regiment
29Major General Srilal Weerasooriya23 February 199816 December 1998Ceylon ArtilleryLater Major General Srilal Weerasooriya was appointed as 15th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.
30Major General Patrick Fernando16 December 19982 April 1999Gemunu Watch
31Major General Lionel Balagalle2 April 199924 August 2000Ceylon ArtilleryLater Major General Lionel Balagalle was appointed as 16th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On 10 October 2003, he was appointed as Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) as serving army commander.
32Major General Janaka Perera15 June 200031 January 2001Ceylon Engineers
33Major General Neil Dias1 February 200113 April 2002
34Major General Lohan Gunawardena13 April 200222 November 2003
35Major General Shantha Kottegoda23 November 200330 June 2004Ceylon Light InfantryLater Major General Shantha Kottegoda was appointed as 17th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.
36Major General Chula Seneviratne1 July 20049 December 2004Ceylon Signals Corps
37Major General Sarath Fonseka9 December 20046 December 2005Ceylon Sinha RegimentLater Major General Sarath Fonseka was appointed as 18th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. At the end of the war he was promoted to General, becoming the first army commander to hold a full General rank. On 15 July 2009 he was the first person appointed CDS under the newly approved Chief of Defence Staff Act. On On 22 March 2015, he was promoted to Field Marshal.
38Major General Nanda Mallawaarachchi6 December 20053 February 2007Sri Lanka Light Infantry
39Major General U.B.L. Fernando3 February 20075 February 2008Gajaba Regiment
40Major General N Wijesinghe5 February 20082 March 2009Sri Lanka Artillery
41Major General G.A. Chandrasiri1 March 200912 July 2009Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
42Major General Mendaka Samarasinghe24 July 200929 January 2010Sri Lanka Engineers
43Major General Daya RatnayakeJanuary 201030 July 2013Sri Lanka Light InfantryLater Major General Daya Ratnayake was appointed as 20th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.
44Major General A.W.J.C. De Silva5 September 201316 June 2014Sri Lanka EngineersLater Major General Crishantha de Silva was appointed as 21st Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. In June 2017 he was promoted to General and appointed as Chief of Defence Staff.
45Major General Prasad Samarasinghe17 May 20146 May 2015Sri Lanka Signals Corps
46Major General Jagath Dias7 May 201526 December 2015Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
47Major General Milinda Peiris12 February 201611 August 2016Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
48Major General Ubaya Madawela1 November 20162 December 2016Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
49Major General Channa Gunathilaka14 December 2016March 2017Sri Lanka Engineers
50Major General Mahesh Senanayake22 March 20173 July 2017Sri Lanka EngineersLater Major General Mahesh Senanayake was appointed as 22nd Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.
51Major General Amal Karunasekara22 July 201713 March 2018Sri Lanka Light Infantry
52Major General Dampath Fernando27 April 2018December 2018Gemunu Watch
53Major General Shavendra Silva9 January 201918 August 2019Gajaba RegimentLater Major General Shavendra Silva was appointed as 23rd Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. In January 2020, General Silva was appointed as Acting Chief of Defence Staff, while serving as Army Commander. He was promoted to the rank of General on 28 December 2020. On his retirement on 1 June 2022, he was confirmed as Chief of Defence Staff.
54Major General Sathyapriya Liyanage23 August 20191 June 2020Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
55Major General Jagath Gunawardena2 June 202015 December 2020Sri Lanka Engineers
56Major General Prabath Dematanpitiya16 December 202017 January 2021Sri Lanka Signals Corps
57Major General Senarath Bandara18 January 202116 July 2021Gemunu Watch
58Major General Priyantha Perera17 July 20216 December 2021Gemunu Watch
59Major General Vikum Liyanage7 December 202130 May 2022Gajaba RegimentLater Major General Vikum Liyanage was appointed as 24th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General.
60Major General Jagath Kodithuwakku8 June 202226 November 2022Sri Lanka Light Infantry
61Major General Channa Weerasuriya29 November 202214 July 2023Sri Lanka Light Infantry
62Major General Sanjaya Wanasinghe15 July 202313 October 2023Sri Lanka ArtilleryHe is the eldest son of 11th commander of Sri Lanka Army, General Hamilton Wanasinghe.
63Major General W.H.K.S Peiris16 December 2023Gajaba Regiment

References

  1. ↑ "Army Establishment". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 6 September 2019.
  2. ↑ Athukorala. "Soldier, lawyer and diplomat". Daily News. Retrieved 30 August 2019.
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