Major General K.A.N Rasika Kumara ndc psc
(General Officer Commanding of 22 Infantry Division and Colonel Commandant of
Corps of Engineer Services)
Major General K.A.N. Rasika Kumara ndcpsc of the Sri Lanka Engineers has been appointed as the General Officer Commanding of the 22 Infantry Division, effective from 24 December 2024. Prior to his new appointment, Major General Rasika Kumara served as the Director General of the Directorate of Media and Psychological Operations and Media Spokesman at Army Headquarters.
Major General Rasika Kumara is a proud product of Rajasinghe Central College,Ruwanwellaand he excelled both academically and in extracurricular activities.
He joined the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet under Intake PMA 1 on 7 September 1990. He underwent basic military training at the Pakistan Military Academy and subsequently at the Sri Lanka Military Academy. Upon successfully completing his Officer Cadet training, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and posted to the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers on 26 December 1992.
Throughout his distinguished military career, which spans over 34 years, Major General Rasika Kumara has held numerous significant command and staffappointments. These include serving as Troop Commander at 5 Field Engineer Regiment, Adjutant of 5 Field Engineer Regiment at Palali and 8 Field Engineer Regiment at Kokkuthoduwai, IO of 8 Field Engineer Regiment at Kokkuthoduwai, Officer Commanding of 81 Field Squadron, Commanding Officer of 5 Field Engineer Regiment in Mattegoda, and 6 Field Engineer Regiment in Kokavil. He has also served as Brigade Commander of the 213 Infantry Brigade.
His other key appointments include General Staff Officer III of Engineer Brigade, Kanagarayankulam, General Staff Officer II of Security Forces Headquarters (Jaffna), Aid-De-Camp to the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, Staff Officer I of the Chief of Staff Office and Military Secretariat Branch, General Staff Officer I (Ops) of the Directorate of Operations, General Staff Officer I (Ops) of Security Forces Headquarters (Wanni), Colonel General Staffof 22 Infantry Division in Trincomalee, Colonel (Overseas Training) of the Directorate of Training, Military Assistant to the Commander of the Army, Director of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, and Director of Overseas Operations.
In addition, Major General Rasika Kumara demonstrated his leadership and operational expertise during his tenure in the United Nations Mission, Haiti. He initially served as the Deputy Chief of the U9 Branch, subsequently the Chief of the same branch, where he played a pivotal role in overseeing and managing critical aspects of the mission’s operational framework.
Academically, Major General Rasika Kumara is a graduate of the Army Command and Staff College in Sri Lanka, the Army Command College in Nanjing, China, and the National Defence College in Sri Lanka. He also holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Studies, which has equipped him with insights into global security, defence strategy, and policy formulation.
He has completed numerous courses, including the Engineer Young Officers Course in India, the Engineer Officers Combat Engineer Instructor Course in India, the Mine and Blasting Engineer Course in China, and a Workshop on Cooperation Against Transnational Threats in the Philippines.
In recognition of his bravery and service during counter-terrorist operations, Major General Rasika Kumara has been awarded the East Humanitarian Operation Medal and North Humanitarian Operation Medal. In addition, he was awardedPurna Bhumi Padakkama, North and East Operations Medal, Vadamarachchi Operation Medal, Riviresa Campaign Medal, United Nations Medal and Foreign Service Medal.
Major General Rasika Kumara is married to Mrs. AnupamaRathnayake, and they are blessed with a son and daughter.
