Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)


The Commander of the Army is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The Army Commander is assisted by the Chief of Staff of the Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva.

History

The post traces its roots to the post of General Officer Commanding, Ceylon, which was the title of the officer commanding the British Army units stationed in Ceylon prior to independence in 1948. On 10 October 1949, when the Ceylon Army was formed following the enactment of the Army Act, Brigadier Earl of Caithness was appointed as Commandant, Ceylon Army and at times referred to as Commander-in-Chief, Ceylon Army. British Forces in Ceylon came under the short lived General Officer Commanding, Ceylon. The title of the head of the Ceylon Army was changed shortly to Army Commander and since the mid 1950s serving army commanders held the rank of Major General.
Since the 1980s serving army commanders have by convention been of the rank of Lieutenant General who are promoted to the rank of full general after taking the responsibilities of the Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff. But some commanders were promoted to full general after retirement or posthumously, e.g. Denis Perera, who was promoted to full general in 2007 after 26 years of retirement in recognition to his service.

Appointment

The Commander of the Army is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka under section 8 of the Army Act. The Commander of the Army, is not subjected to the mandatory retirement age of 55 or a maximum permissible service in rank, which commissioned officers are subject to. The appointment has no fixed term and the President may grant service extensions.

Official Residence

The official residence of the Commander of the Army is General's House in Colombo. The house was one of several built as Class A Quarters by the British Colonial Government of Ceylon along Bullers Road for the use of government officials and was used as the quarters of the Commander of the British Garrison in Ceylon. Brigadier James Sinclair, the Earl of Caithness took up residence in the house in 1949 after being appointed the first Commander of the Ceylon Army, and it has been used as the Commander's official residence since, with a brief interruption in 1955.
Retiring commanders are allowed to stay on an additional three months post-retirement to better facilitate their transition. The General's House, Nuwara Eliya is the former vacationing and country residence of the Army Commander, which had been used by the British General Officer Commanding, Ceylon.

List of Commanders (including Commanders of the Ceylon Army)