The Sri Lanka Military Academy () (SLMA or SLMA Diyatalawa), commonly known simply as Diyatalawa, is the
Sri Lanka Army
ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம்
, image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
's training centre where
officer cadet
Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Ai ...
s are trained for getting
commission. It is located in the
garrison town of
Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa (දියතලාව, meaning “the watered plain”) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destina ...
in the central highlands of
Sri Lanka. All Sri Lanka Army officer cadets, including army cadets of the
, are trained at SLMA. Although not a university, SLMA is affiliated to the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University to provide its cadets of regular long course a degree in military studies.
It has capacity to train more than 300 cadets.
History
When the
Ceylon Army
ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம்
, image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
was raised in 1949, the need arose to recruit and train officers and soldiers of the newly formed army. The Army Recruit Training Depot (ARTD) was therefore formed in
Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa (දියතලාව, meaning “the watered plain”) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destina ...
on 6 February 1950 for the purpose of training recruits. The first batch of 114 recruits passed out from the ARTD on 2 June 1950. The ARTD was later named as the Army Training Centre (ATC). But facilities did not exist to train officers, and therefore
Officer Cadet
Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Ai ...
s were sent to the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
. The first batch of ten Officer Cadets were enlisted to the Army on the 10 of October 1949 and were dispatched to RMA Sandhurst.
Subsequently, Officer Cadets were trained at the
Indian Military Academy
The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...
, the
National Defence Academy (India)
The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces, where cadets of the three services i.e. the Indian Army, the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force train together before they go on ...
, and also to the
Pakistan Military Academy
Pakistan Military Academy ( ur, ), also referred to by its acronym PMA. PMA is an officers training school located near Kakul village in the city and district of Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa established in 1947. It is the sole service academy ...
in the 1960s. Due to the cost of training officers overseas, the Ceylon Army initiated officer training at the Army Training Centre in 1968 with the formation of the Officer Cadet School. The first intake of Officer Cadets who were earmarked to be trained at the Army Training Centre, Diyatalawa, were enlisted on 16 April 1968. Since then Officer Cadets were locally trained and commissioned. With the expansion and the growing need to train large numbers of recruits, recruit training was assigned to the respective regiments. In 1988 due to the expansion of the Army and the need for more young officers the ATC was given the responsibility of training only Officer Cadets. With this, the Army Training Centre was re-designated as the Sri Lanka Military Academy with effect from 15 January 1981, and since then it has been totally utilized for training of Officer Cadets. At any one time, five to six hundred Officer Cadets are trained at this institution. In 1999, cadet training have elevated to the standards of bachelor's degree in military studies which will be awarded by the
Sabaragamuwa University of Sri Lanka, which was shifted to the
in 2011.
SLMA started academic programs for mid-career Officers in basic command and staff techniques at the level of
Grade III/II appointments, (Officers in the ranks of
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
/
Captain /
Major), with the establishment the Officers Study Centre (OSC) in 1981 which conducted the Junior Command Course (JCC) and the Junior Staff Course (JSC). In 2012, these programs of the OSC were transferred to the newly established
Officer Career Development Centre.
Organisation
In overall command of the SLMA is the Commandant of the Academy, usually an officer of Major General Rank.
SLMA has several Commissioning Courses each year. Each new intake numbers approximately 150 cadets, each of whom joins a
company. The commissioning course is split up into three terms, each lasting fourteen weeks, and on each course, cadets are put into one of four companies. There can be as many as several companies within the SLMA at any one time, each commanded by a Major and named after a famous battle in Sri Lankan history.
The SLMA orgernization is as follows:
* SLMA HQ
** Officer cadet wing
***Vijithapura Company (named after the
Battle of Vijithapura)
***Gannoruwa Company (named after the
Battle of Gannoruwa
The Battle of Gannoruwa was a battle of the Sinhalese–Portuguese War fought in 1638 between the occupying Portuguese forces and the Sinhalese King's army at Gannoruwa in the District of Kandy, Sri Lanka. The Portuguese had attempted thre ...
)
***Randeniwela Company (named after the
Battle of Randeniwela
The Battle of Randeniwela was a battle fought on 25 August 1630 in the Sinhalese–Portuguese War. It was fought between Portuguese Empire and King Senarth's youngest son Prince Maha Astana, who would later become Rajasinghe II against Por ...
)
***Balana Company (named after the
Battle of Balana)
** Military training wing
** Academic wing
** Admin wing
Cadet ranks
* Battalion
Under Officer
* Company Under Officer
* Platoon Under Officer
* Battalion Sergeant Major
* Battalion Quarter Master Sergeant
* Company Sergeant Major
* Company Quarter Master Sergeant
* Sergeant
* Corporal
* Lance Corporal
* Cadet
Colours
The President's and ATC colours presented to the ATC in 1972, were laid to rest with the change of name to Sri Lanka Military Academy. The Colours were renamed as SLMA Colours and presented by
Her Excellency
Excellency is an honorific style given to certain high-level officers of a sovereign state, officials of an international organization, or members of an aristocracy. Once entitled to the title "Excellency", the holder usually retains the right ...
, the
President of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, on 21 June 1997, at Diyatalawa.
Traditions
Upon completion of their training, the SLMA hosts the ''Commissioning ceremony'' attended by the
Commander of the Army, senior army officers, defence attaches of diplomatic establishments and parents. It starts off with the ''Passing-Out Parade'' made up of the graduating intakes of cadets, during which the cadets receive the President's Commission along with the Sword of Honour and Trophies, awarded to the cadets first in order of merit. This is followed by the ''Pipping ceremony'' where parents of new Officers and Lady Officers adorned their uniform and epaulets with the respective insignia. The event is finished with the ''Commissioning Dinner''.
Training
The Sri Lanka Military Academy, Diyatalawa trains Officer Cadets for both Regular and Volunteer Forces of the Sri Lanka Army. It also has undertaken to train Officer Cadets from the
Maldives
Maldives (, ; dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖެ, translit=Dhivehi Raajje, ), officially the Republic of Maldives ( dv, ދިވެހިރާއްޖޭގެ ޖުމްހޫރިއްޔާ, translit=Dhivehi Raajjeyge Jumhooriyyaa, label=none, ), is an archipelag ...
and
Bangladesh
Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...
since 1992.
Intakes
There are several intakes for cadet officers annually. These are under the following category;
*Regular Long Course (Cadet Entry Degree Program) -Two years and nine months - Accredited to the
for the
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in
Military studies
*Short Service Cadets Course - One year
*Volunteer cadets intakes - One year (
Probationary officers for the
Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force)
*Officer cadets from
(final year)
*Direct Enlisted Course - Three months (Direct Entry Stream to the Regular Force for professionals such as Doctors, IT specialists, Civil Engineers, Accountants etc.)
The Commissioning Course lasts two and a half years, during this period, cadets are trained in leadership, tactics, weapons training, military law, military accounting systems and academic studies such as General Science, Management, and General Studies. An intensive course in the English language is conducted during the first six months of training to enhance the English knowledge of Officer Cadets. Completion of research work is a partial fulfillment for the Degree other than the Military and Academic Components. Intakes have been named from 1 and today up to Intake 69 are being trained.
Commandants
;Commandants of the ATC
The following officers served as commandants of the Army Training Center:
''This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
*Lieutenant Colonel
Denis Perera (1969-1972)
*Colonel
Jayantha de S. Jayaratne (1981-1983)
*Colonel
C.H. Fernando (1985-1986)
*Colonel
Devinda Kalupahana
Major General Devinda Kalupahana, RSP, USP, psc, SLAC was a Sri Lankan army general, who was the former GOC, 3 Division; GOC, 2 Division; Director Operations, General Staff and Commandant, Sri Lanka Military Academy.
Educated at Royal Colleg ...
(1989-1991)
;Commandants of the SLMA
The following officers served as commandants of the college:
''This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
*Colonel S.M.Asoka Jayawardena First Commandant 15 Jan 1981 -15 Dec 1981.
*Brigadier Niranjan Ranasinghe ( 2000-2002 )
*Brigadier
Jagath Jayasuriya
General Jagath Jayasuriya, VSV, USP is a retired senior Sri Lanka Army officer; he was the Chief of Defence Staff of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and Commander of the Sri Lankan Army. During the closing stages of the Sri Lankan Civil War, h ...
(2002-2004)
*Brigadier
Percy Fernando (1998-2000)
*Brigadier
Mendaka Samarasinghe
Major General M.C. Mendaka. P. Samarasinghe, RWP, RSP, USP, ndc, psc, SLE (April 1, 1958) was a Sri Lankan general and former Chief of Staff, Sri Lanka Army and also the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna; he was also th ...
(2004-2006)
*Brigadier
Janaka Walgama
Major General (Retd) Janaka Walgama RSP, VSV, USP, ndu, psc was the Military Adviser to the Sri Lanka's Permanent Representation to the United Nations at New York.
Early life and education
Janaka received his education from Nalanda College Col ...
(2006-2008)
*Brigadier
Kumudu Perera (2008-2009)
*Brigadier
Ruwan Kulatunga (2009-2012)
*Brigadier
Indunil Ranasinghe (2012-2014)
*Major General
Dushyantha Rajaguru (2014-2016); the first general to command the institution
*Brigadier
HHASPK Senarathna (2017-2019)
*Brigadier S K Eshwaran (2019-2020)
*Major General AKGKU Gnanaratne (2020-2021)
Alumni
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya recipients
The following are SLMA graduates who received the
Parama Weera Vibhushanaya __NOTOC__
The Parama Weera Vibhushanaya (PWV) (Sinhala language, Sinhala: පරම වීර වීභූෂණය ''parama vīra vibhūṣaṇaya''; Tamil language, Tamil: பரம வீர விபுஷனைய) is Sri Lanka's highest Mil ...
, the highest decoration for valor;
*
Captain Saliya Upul Aladeniya
Captain Samarakoon Wasala Mudiyanselage Saliya Upul Aladeniya, PWV, SLRS (in Sinhalese: කපිතාන් සාලිය උපුල් අලදෙනිය; 1 March 1963 – 11 June 1990) was a Sri Lankan soldier and the second recip ...
-
Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
The Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (SLSR) ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා සිංහ රෙජිමේන්තුව ''Śrī Laṃkā Sinha Rejimēnthuva'') is an infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army; it is the second oldest infantry ...
*
Colonel
Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations.
In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...
A.F. Lafir -
Special Forces Regiment
Special or specials may refer to:
Policing
* Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force
* Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer
Literature
* ''Speci ...
*
Major G. S. Jayanath -
Commando Regiment
*
Major K. A. Gamage -
1st Special Forces Regiment
*
Second Lieutenant K. W. T. Nissanka
Second Lieutenant K. W. T. Nissanka PWV, GR was a Sri Lankan army officer who was the platoon commander of his platoon. He fought with courage in the face of an enemy attack, sacrificing his life so as to enable his troops of his platoon to wi ...
-
Gajaba Regiment
The Gajaba Regiment (GR) is an elite infantry regiment of the Sri Lankan Army. Formed on 14 October 1983 at the Saliyapura Camp in Anuradhapura, it is named after the famous Sinhalese warrior King Gajabahu the First. It consists of 14 regula ...
*
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
U. G. A. S. Samaranayake -
9th Gemunu Watch
*
Captain H. G. M. H. I. Megawarna -
9th Gemunu Watch
*
Captain G. N. Punsiri -
Gajaba Regiment
The Gajaba Regiment (GR) is an elite infantry regiment of the Sri Lankan Army. Formed on 14 October 1983 at the Saliyapura Camp in Anuradhapura, it is named after the famous Sinhalese warrior King Gajabahu the First. It consists of 14 regula ...
*
Lieutenant
A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations.
The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often ...
W. T. Jayatillake -
Gemunu Watch
The Gemunu Watch (GW) ("King Dutugemunu's Own") is a infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, formed with troops from the Ceylon Light Infantry and the Ceylon Sinha Regiment in 1962. It has been deployed in many major operations against the LTTE ...
*Major W.M.I.S.B Walisundara
Fox Hill Super Cross
Fox Hill Super Cross is a cross country championship held annually at the Diyatalawa Super cross circuit at Fox Hill which is organized by Sri Lanka Military Academy. It is one of the premier motor racing events in the country.
See also
*
*
Naval and Maritime Academy
*
Air Force Academy, China Bay
The Air Force Academy (AFA) is the Sri Lanka Air Force's training and education academy which provides initial training to all SLAF personnel who are preparing to be commissioned officers. AFA also provides initial training to Officer Cadets of th ...
*
Sri Lanka Army
ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம்
, image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
References
External links
Sri Lanka Military AcademySri Lanka Army
{{Authority control
Training establishments of the Sri Lanka Army
Sri Lanka Military Academy
Military education and training in Sri Lanka
Educational institutions established in 1992
Sri Lankan Army bases
Buildings and structures in Uva Province
Diyatalawa
Education in Uva Province
1992 establishments in Sri Lanka