Sri Lanka appoints new army, navy chiefs
COLOMBO – Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake on Monday (30) appointed Major General Lasantha Rodrigo and Rear Admiral Kanchana Banagoda as the new Commanders of the Army and Navy, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said in a press statement.
Rodrigo, the 25th Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, succeeds Lieutenant General Vikum Liyanage and is slated to assume duties on Tuesday (Dec 31), while Banagoda, who is the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy will be taking over as the 26th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from January 1, 2025, succeeding Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera.
The PMD said the official appointment letters were presented to the newly appointed commanders by Secretary to the President Nandika Sanath Kumanayake at the Presidential Secretariat on Monday.
General Shavendra Silva is also slated to retire from the position of Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and from active service in the Sri Lanka Army, effective January 1, 2025. He is the 8th CDS and was appointed on June 1, 2022, after serving as the 23rd Commander of the Sri Lanka Army.
The President has not appointed a successor for General Silva. Government officials have said the CDS office is likely to be ceased under the new government.
-ENCL
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