Major General MK Jayawardena RSP VSV USP ndu
Major General M K Jayawardena RSP VSV USP ndu is the 22nd Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers. He is a proud product of Royal College, Colombo. Upon completion of GCE A/L examination in Bio stream he joined the Regular Force of the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet to the Intake 30 on 26 July 1988. After successful completion of Basic Military Training both from the Pakistan Military Academy and Sri Lanka Military Academy, Diyatalawa he received his commission as a Second Lieutenant and posted to the prestigious Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers on 09th June 1990.
Expanding over his 34 years of illustrious military career, he has held significant command, staff and instructional appointments in the Sri Lanka Army. During his early military career he rendered his dedicated military service as a Troop Commander and Intelligence Officer in 6 Field Engineer Regiment, Officer Commanding in 5 Field Engineer Regiment and 9 Field Engineer Regiment. Later he served as General Staff Officer II (Log) and General Staff Officer II (Admin) at Regimental Center, and held the appointment as the Second in Command of 5 Field Engineer Regiment. The senior officer has immensely contributed to eradicate terrorism from motherland accomplishing valiant service both in RFT and classic engineering duties. He commanded 5 Field Engineer Regiment as the officiating Commanding Officer and 6 Field Engineer Regiment as the Commanding Officer during past humanitarian operations. His commendable innovative combat engineering contribution extended to 55 Infantry Division during final stages of humanitarian operations as an engineer advisor of the division was noteworthy.
As an Extra Regimental Employments appointments initially he was fortunate to hold the appointment as the Adjutant of Army Training School Maduruoya and the senior officer has held other appointments as the General Staff Officer I (Coordinating) in Security Forces Headquarters (Jaffna), General Staff Officer I in General Staff Branch Army Headquarters and Colonel General Staff in 58 Infantry Division.
Maj Gen M K Jayawardena has commanded several infantry brigades under different operational environments. He held the appointments as the Officiating Brigade Commander 581 Infantry Brigade and subsequently commanded the 612 Infantry Brigade and 141 Infantry Brigade. Then he was appointed as the Director Sirisara Pivisuma Project and subsequently Commander Plant Engineering Brigade of Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers that he extended his plant engineering expertise for nation development projects of the country. He was promoted to the rank of Major General on 18 May 2021 and became the Commander FMA Kilinochchi. Furthermore, the senior officer was appointed as the 25th General Officer Commanding of the prestigious 55 Infantry Division and subsequently became the General Officer Commanding of the Sri Lanka Army Engineer Division. He was appointed as the 22nd Colonel Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps on 12 October 2022 and eventually became the Colonel Commandant of the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers since 04 December 2022. Further, this Senior Officer was held the appointment of Chief Field Engineer of the Sri Lanka Army from 11 June 2022 to 07 June 2023 and as the Commander Security Forces Headquarters Mullaitivu from 09 June 2023 to 28 December 2023. Presently he is serving as the Commandant Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force since 01 January 2024.
The senior officer is both a war and a scholar warrior. His professional military career includes attending numerous overseas training courses few of them namely, Officer Cadet Training Course Pakistan, Engineers’ Young Officers Course Pakistan, Engineer Officers Earth Moving Plant Workshop & Construction Course India, Humanitarian Mine Action and Demine Course Switzerland and Senior Command Course India. He is a military strategist in the contemporary Army and he has successfully completed his Advance Diploma in Defense and Strategic Studies in National Defense University in China. He has also followed number of local courses such as Platoon commander tactics course, Field engineer basic course, Plant operator and fitter course, Officers par excellence course, Operational staff duties course, Psychological operation course, Defence attaché orientation course, Military geography course, Mine action and management course.
Maj Gen M K Jayawardena is a war veteran and a decorated military personality of the Sri Lanka Army who has been awarded ‘Ranasura Padakkama’ for his bravery in the battle front and ‘Vishishta Seva Vibhushanaya’ for his exceptional, distinguished, loyal service in his greatest pride 25 years of military career is to have maintained a clean, an unblemished record of conduct and ‘Uththama Seva padakkama’ for his unblemished military service. Further, due to the exceptional leadership given to the troops by providing active contribution to the humanitarian operations conducted against the ferocious terrorism that gripped the island of Sri Lanka for three decades, he has been awarded with Eastern operations medal, Northern operations medal, Purna bhumi medal, North and East operations medal, Riviresa operation medal, 50th Independence anniversary commemoration medal and Army 50th Anniversary medal. The general officer is married to Mrs. Shammi Jayawardena and blessed with two daughters.
