General Shavendra Silva is set to retire as Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) and from active service in the Sri Lanka Army effective on 1 January 2025.
Appointed as the 8th Chief of Defence Staff of Sri Lanka on 1 June 2022, General Silva has served the nation with over 40 years of distinguished and unblemished military service. Prior to this role, he held the positions of Acting Chief of Defence Staff and the 23rd Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, becoming the four-star General to lead the Army before assuming the CDS role.
Rising through the ranks from Second Lieutenant to General, he held key appointments across staff, instructional, command, and diplomatic domains. These included Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, Adjutant General, and Director General of Operations at Army Headquarters. He also served as Colonel of the Gajaba Regiment, Special Forces Regiment, and Commando Regiment.
Renowned for his leadership during the Wanni Humanitarian Operation, General Silva commanded the Air Mobile Brigade, the victorious 58 Division, and the Commando Brigade, which achieved remarkable success in bringing Sri Lanka’s three-decade civil war to an end in 2009. This earned him recognition as the most successful Divisional Commander in the Sri Lanka Army.
In 2009, he became the youngest Major General in the Army and later commanded the 53 Division, Sri Lanka’s Reserve Strike Force. His battlefield valour has been honoured with the highest number of gallantry awards in the history of Sri Lanka’s Armed Forces, including Weera Wickrama Vibushanaya (WWV), Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP), and Rana Soora Padakkama (RSP).
General Silva also holds distinguished service decorations such as Vishishta Seva Vibhushanaya (VSV) and Uththama Seva Padakkama (USP).
