Brig HHASPK Senaratne RSP psc
Brigadier Priyantha Senaratne assumed duties as the Commandant of the Sri Lanka Military Academy on 22nd December 2016. He was the Director Operations at Army Headquarters before he assumed command at SLMA. Also, he commanded the Commando Brigade of the Sri Lanka Army from 28th November 2013 to December 2015.
He was enlisted to the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet in August 1986 and underwent basic military training at the Sri Lanka Military Academy with Regular Officer Cadet Intake 25. Upon commissioning as a Second Lieutenant, he was posted to the Commando Regiment on 17th June 1988.
His Military training includes Basic and Advanced Commando Courses (Sri Lanka), Methods of Instruction Course (MOI), Officers Physical Fitness Course, Basic Parachute Course, Free Fall Parachuting Course (Sri Lanka), Officers Commando Course and Young Officers Course (India), Junior Commanders and Staff Course (Bangladesh), Jump Master and Airborne Operation Course (Pakistan), Airborne, Pathfinder and Ranger Course (USA), Manoeuvre Captains Career Course (USA), Command and Staff Course at the Army Command and Staff College (Sri Lanka), Senior Command Course (India) and Senior Defence Management Diploma from the University of Indoor (India). Also he has obtained his Master’s of Science in Disaster Analysis Management and Mitigation from the University of Colombo (Sri Lanka).
Brigadier Senaratne participated in the Second Regional Special Forces Counterterrorism Conference held in Singapore in November 2005. He is also a qualified Instructor on International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights and has participated in several seminars and courses conducted by the British High Commission and ICRC.
Brigadier Senaratne served as a Team Commander in the 1st and 2nd Commando Regiments from 1989 to 1993. He was the Adjutant of the 2nd Commando Regiment from 1993 to 1994. Thereafter, he served as Group Commander, Operation and Training Officer and Second In Command of the 1st Commando Regiment.
He served as the Chief Instructor at the Commando Regiment Training School from April 1997 to December 1998. After graduating from the Command and Staff Course, he served the Sri Lanka Military Academy as a Senior Instructor.
He commanded the 1st Commando Regiment from 2000 to 2004. During this period, he served in almost all parts of the country, starting from junior level to senior level and participated in many operations in various command capacities.
Thereafter, he served as the Commanding Officer of the Commando Regiment Training School. He became the Staff Officer 1 at the Military Secretary’s Branch, Sri Lanka Army Headquarters in August 2005 and subsequently took over duties as the Senior Security Coordinator to the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army in 2006. He served as the Deputy Head of the CIMIC Branch (U-9) at United Nations Mission in Haiti from 2009 to 2010.
Brigadier Senaratne’s Military awards and decorations include “Rana Sura Padakkama” - a Gallantry medal awarded four times for his bravery in the battlefield. Other medals include, “Desha Puthra Sammanaya” (Purple Heart), “Purna Bhumi Padakkama”, North and East Operations Medals, Riviresa Campaign Service Medal, 50th Independence Medal, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service medal, Foreign Service Medal and the Medal for the United Nations Mission in Haiti.
In addition to his present duties, he holds the appointment of the President of the Army Kayaking Committee. He is a past student of Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa.
Brigader Priyantha Senaratne is married to Kushmy, who is a Civil Engineer serving in the private sector.