website hit counter
Wednesday, July 2, 2025
Wednesday, July 2, 2025

HomeNewsGeneral Shavendra Silva to Retire as Chief of Defence Staff on 1...

General Shavendra Silva to Retire as Chief of Defence Staff on 1 January 2025

General Shavendra Silva to Retire as Chief of Defence Staff on 1 January 2025

spot_img

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).

Latest articles

Sri Lankan man dies of suspected drug overdose at Romanian nightclub

A 29-year-old Sri Lankan national has died under suspicious circumstances at a nightclub in...

Asia Asset Finance Caps Off Strong Financial Year with Record Growth and Strategic Expansion

Asia Asset Finance PLC (AAF), the only Sri Lankan subsidiary of global financial leader...

SOORYA Matches Honours the Nation’s Brightest Rising Stars at the Youth Top 40 Awards 2025

Sri Lanka’s most anticipated celebration of young talent lit up the Shangri-La Hotel in...

Immigration Chief Pleads Guilty After Months in Jail in E-Visa Contempt Case

Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Harsha Ilukpitiya has pleaded guilty before the Supreme...

More like this

Sri Lankan man dies of suspected drug overdose at Romanian nightclub

A 29-year-old Sri Lankan national has died under suspicious circumstances at a nightclub in...

Immigration Chief Pleads Guilty After Months in Jail in E-Visa Contempt Case

Controller General of Immigration and Emigration Harsha Ilukpitiya has pleaded guilty before the Supreme...

BREAKING: Former SriLankan Chair Nishantha Wickramasinghe Further Remanded till 15 July

Former Chairman of SriLankan Airlines, Nishantha Wickramasinghe, who was arrested by the Commission to...