99TH COMMISSIONING CEREMONY

The 99th Commissioning Ceremony of the Sri Lanka Military Academy, held on 20th and 21st December, 2024, marked an important moment in the Academy's history with the commissioning of 219 young officer cadets from Regular Officer Cadet Intakes 93B, SC 21 and SC 22.The Commissioning Ceremony was compounded by four major events, primarily the Final Research Presentation, Commissioning Parade, Pipping Ceremony and Commissioning Banquet.

On December 20, 2024, a well-researched presentation on the topic of ‘Threats Posed by Transnational Crimes to Sri Lanka and South Asia: The Role of Security Forces’ was presented to all military and civil intellectuals by the passing out Officer Cadets, which was graced by the Deputy Minister of Defence, Major General K P A Jayasekara (Retd) WWV RSP VSV USP ndc psc as the Chief Guest along with Commander of the Army Lieutenant General H L V M Liyanage RWP RSP ndu, past Commandants of SLMA, high-ranking military personnel, Defence Advisers and Attaches and other distinguished invitees. After the Presentation and Q & A session, the Chief Guest appreciated the final term officer cadets’ academic standards, public speaking and presentation skills. The presentation was also featured by the e-launch of the sixth consecutive volume of the SLMA Journal, and distribution of copies among the honoured and distinguished invitees, while making the e-version available on the SLMA website.

On 21st December, 2024, the formalities of the 99th Passing Out Parade began to unfold and a total of 219 including 10 locally trained foreign officer cadets and 7 overseas trained local officer cadets, received the presidential commission from the Chief Guest, the Deputy Minister of Defence. This ever –memorable occasion was attended by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence and the Commander of the Army as well.

Following the Ceremonial Parade, the traditional 'Pipping Ceremony', symbolizing the transition from cadetship to Commissioned Officer took place with the Commandant’s participation as the Chief Guest along with the Defence Advisers and Attachés, SLMA staff, beloved parents and family members of the newly commissioned officers.

The Commissioning Ceremony marked its conclusion with a royal banquet hosted by the SLMA for the newly commissioned officers, attended by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) WWV, RWP and two Bars, RSP and Bar, USP, MMSc (Strat Stu-China), MSc (Def Stu) in Mgt, MSc (Def & Strat Stu), fndu (China), psc as the Chief Guest along with top ranking officers, the faculty, and the newly commissioned officers, fostering comradeship. In couple with the Commissioning Dinner, Ladies’ Night was organized for the ladies of the dignitaries at the Officers’ Mess.

In expressing gratitude for the successful culmination of the 99th Commissioning Ceremony activities, the Commandant and the Staff of the SLMA pay their tributes to all personnel who supported in numerous means to make this event a fabulous cornerstone of the SLMA history.