PRESIDENT RENDERED A SERVICE EXTENSION TO THE CHIEF OF STAFF OF SRI LANKA ARMY

His Excellency the President and the Commander in Chief Maithripala Sirisena granted a service extension to the Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army and the Colonel of the Regiment of the Gajaba Regiment and the Commando Regiment, Major General Shavendra Silva WWV RWP RSP VSV USP ndc psc with effect from 22 June 2019 to 31 December 2019.

Major General Shavendra Silva is a proud invention of the Gajaba Regiment and he was affectionately known by all his troops as one of Sri Lanka Army's greatest Generals, who led the longest offensive march as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of celebrated 58 Division (with consist of 26 infantry battalions) regaining the control over "Rise Bowl" to "Nandikadal" in the battle against most ruthless terrorist outfit in the world.

Also he played a vital role of a dynamic military leader possessed with a distinct leadership style and exceptional military commander. He could see the abstract of circumstances and liberalized the most complicated issues to draw simple, yet rational replies in a convenient and intelligible manner. He was not only a battle hardened officer but also an eminent personality who possessed strong intellectual attributes and he was conferred with Masters of ‘Psychology in Defence and Strategic Studies’ in Harvard University, Cambridge. Major General Shavendra Silva also graduated from National Defence College, India and Army Command and Staff College, Sri Lanka.

Major General Shavendra Silva was the first officer who joined the Gajaba Regiment as a newly commissioned Second Lieutenant; a trailblazer in its inception in 1983. Then he was fortunate to groom under the legendary figure of late Major General Vijaya Wimalaratne who contributed his fullest co-operation to drive forward the Infantry Arm to the current position and also he was the founder father of Gajaba Regiment.

He was born on 22 June 1964 and completed his primary & secondary education at St. Thomas College, Matale. Then he joined the Army on 26 March 1984 as an Officer Cadet to Intake 19 and commissioned on 16 November 1985 as a Second Lieutenant. Subsequently he posted to the elite 1st Battalion the Gajaba Regiment. As well as he commanded 8th Battalion the Gajaba Regiment, 5th (Vol) Battalion and the 1st Battalion of the Gajaba Regiment, respectively. He has also been the Commanding Officer at the Sri Lanka Military Academy from 11th January 2005 to 21st August 2006. He also held many other instructional and staff appointments in various capacities during his illustrious career. In addition, he has commanded prestigious Air Mobile Brigade and later became the General Officer Commanding of 58 Division during the Humanitarian Operations. He was promoted to the rank of ‘Major General’ on 29 July 2009 as the youngest Major General ever promoted by Sri Lanka Army.

Later, he became the Director General-Operations from 30 August 2009 to 12 September 2010. Thereafter, he appointed as the Deputy Permanent Representative of Sri Lanka to the United Nations - New York. General Shavendra Silva was the only Sri Lankan Military Officer, elevated to an ambassadorial rank whilst serving. He was also appointed as an advisor to Ban Ki-Moon, the Secretary-General of the United Nations on Peace Keeping Operations.

On his return from the United States, he took over the 53rd Infantry Division as the General Officer - Commanding on 04 December 2015. He was the Adjutant General of Sri Lanka Army from 30 March 2017 to 10 January 2019 until assuming duties as the 53rd Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army. He is also holding the appointment of Colonel of the Regiment of the Gajaba Regiment and the Commando Regiment.

Major General Shavendra Silva is the most embellished serving General in the Sri Lanka Army. His invaluable service rendered to the Nation during his entire military career is remarkable, exemplary and legendary which is undoubtedly written in GOLD in the annals of the Sri Lankan history. Every member of the Gajaba family looking forward to his great leadership, wisdom and guidance to strive the Gajaba Regiment to attain its noble objectives further.