Commandant

Major General Chandana Wickramasinghe, an illustrious military officer who possesses wealth of over 35 years of distinguished service, assumed duties as the 58th successor in the office of the Commandant of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) with effect from 5 December 2024. Apart from the present appointment in the Volunteer Force, the senior officer is serving as the Colonel of the Regiment of the Gajaba Regiment in the Sri Lanka Army.

The senior officer enlisted in the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet in 1989, and he is an alumnus of the Sri Lanka Military Academy (SLMA) and the Indian Military Academy (IMA). The senior officer is a battle-hardened officer who groomed by the prestigious Gajaba Regiment, and exemplified a charismatic role of leadership for safeguarding the solemn decorum of the Sri Lanka Army at every phase of his military career.

In the course of his illustrious and years of military career, the senior officer has served in Command, Staff and Instructional appointments conferred to the respective ranks. As a budding officer, the senior officer received the opportunity to perform duties in all assigned appointments at the battalion level , and has been pursuing a military career that exemplifies of an inspirational leader. All his successful delegations in the Army have been nurtured by the exposure and the experiences under varied appointments such as a Senior Staff Officer (Personnel) at the Administrative Branch (U1) in the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti, Staff Officer1 (Administration) in the Gajaba Regiment, Colonel General Staff in the 22 Infantry Division, Trincomalee, Brigade Commander in the 511 and 224 Brigades, Jaffna and Trincomalee, and General Officer Commanding in the 51 and 52 Infantry Divisions, Jaffna.

In addition, the senior officer held the appointments in the field of media including Military Spokesman in the Ministry of Defence, Director of Media of the Media Centre in the Ministry of Defence, and Director of Media in the Army Headquarters. Further, he held the positions of Assistant Military Secretary, Military Secretary in the Military Secretary’s Branch, Adjutant General and Director General Staff (DGGS) in the Army Headquarters, Colonel of the Regiment in the Mechanized Infantry Regiment and served as the Commander of the Security Forces Headquarters in Jaffna.

The senior officer has earned an MPhil and a Master of Arts (International Relations) at the University of Colombo, and is currently pursuing a PhD in the discipline of International Relations at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University. He studied National Security and War Studies at the National Defence University of the Republic of Korea and has obtained language proficiency in the Korean National Standard.

Excelling in the academic, research papers have been presented by the senior officer to academia , and he participated in conferences and symposiums proving his mastery of studies. His research focused on '21st Century Power Competition in the Indian Ocean and Sri Lanka's Security. This vastly experienced senior officer conceptualized and initiated a novel concept in the Civil-Military Relations domain by introducing a CIMIC Park in Jaffna to strengthen trust and confidence among civilians and the military, thereby enhancing the bonds of existing Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) with much acceptance from the civil society and the Army.

Major General Chandana Wickramasinghe was awarded honorary citizenship in Nonsan City, Republic of Korea, and is a recipient of the 6th Asia’s Education Leadership Award in Singapore. Additionally, he has served as a visiting lecturer in the Faculty of Graduate Studies at the University of Colombo, Kotelawala Defence University, the Defence Institute for Training and Education in the Maldives, and the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Sri Lanka. The senior officer is academically interested in the discipline of International Relations, conducting lectures on Military, Strategic, International Security, Emotional Intelligence, Management and Administrative studies. In recognition of his expertise in academic, he was appointed as the Research Coordinator in the Faculty of Defence and Strategic Studies at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and subsequently elevated to the office of Dean in the same faculty.

The senior officer has excelled at Rugby and is a recipient of a 1st Dan Black Belt in Taekwondo. He participated in the 2nd World Cadet Games titled, "Ecuador 2014," as a Team Manager and Trainer. He is currently the chairman of the Army Rugby Committee.

Major General Chandana Wickramasinghe has been adorned with gallantry awards of Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP) for the brave conduct in the face of the enemy, Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP) for his distinguished conduct in the face of the enemy and other service medals. In recognition of his valuable service rendered to the nation, he has been awarded with “Deshamamaka” and “Desha Gaurava Keerthi”.