Major General Devinda Kalupahana,
RSP,
USP,
psc,
SLAC
SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, originally named the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center,
is a federally funded research and development center in Menlo Park, California, United States. Founded in 1962, the laboratory is now sponsored ...
was a
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, also known historically as Ceylon, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian subcontinent, ...
n army general, who was the former
GOC, 3 Division;
GOC, 2 Division; Director Operations,
General Staff
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, Enlisted rank, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commanding officer, commander of a ...
and
Commandant
Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
,
Sri Lanka Military Academy.
Educated at
Royal College, Colombo
Royal College, Colombo also known as; Royal Colombo, Colombo Royal College or Colombo Royal) is a Single-sex education, boys' school located in Cinnamon Gardens, Cinnamon Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka. Started by Joseph Marsh (priest), Joseph Mar ...
, Kalupahana joined the army in 1966 as a cadet officer, undergoing training at the
Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS or RMA Sandhurst), commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is one of several military academy, military academies of the United Kingdom and is the British Army's initial Commissioned officer, officer train ...
. While at Sandhurst, his cadet intake for the winter training exercise were sent to
Cyprus
Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...
when the
Cypriot intercommunal violence
Several distinct periods of Cypriot intercommunal violence involving the two main ethnic communities, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, marked mid-20th century Cyprus. These included the Cyprus Emergency of 1955–59 during British rule, the ...
broke out and the Sandhurst Cadets were deployed until they were relieved by regular units
In 1968, he was commissioned into the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment,
Ceylon Armoured Corps as a
second lieutenant.
After serving as a troop leader in the Ceylon Armoured Corps, he became an officer instructor at the Army Training Centre in
Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa (), (), meaning ) 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 destination for local holiday makers. It is home ...
and returned several years later as chief instructor of its successor the
Sri Lanka Military Academy. He had also served as a
staff officer
A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted, and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large milita ...
in the
Northern Command Headquarters,
Sri Lanka Army Headquarters and the
Joint Operations Headquarters. He also served as the commandant of the Combat Training School in
Ampara
Ampara (, ) is the main town of Ampara District, governed by an Urban Council.
It is located in the Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, about east of Colombo and approximately south of Batticaloa.
History
This was a hunters' resting place during Br ...
.
Raising the 3rd
Reconnaissance Regiment of the
Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as the T-55#Modernization, T-55AM2 main battle tank; the BMP development, BMP infantry fighting vehicle; and the BTR-80 and WZ551 armoured ...
, he became its first commanding officer in 1988, by then a
lieutenant colonel. He then became the commandant of the Sri Lanka Military Academy and went on to take command in the Area Headquarters in
Vavuniya
Vavuniya (, ) is a city in Vavuniya District in the Northern Province of Sri Lanka. The municipality is administered by an Municipal Council. The town has been known since ancient times, but being a heavily forested area, less than 100,000 people ...
.
During
Operation Sea Breeze, the first
amphibious operation launched by the Sri Lankan military in its history,
Colonel
Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), 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 colon ...
Kalupahana led the brigade that landed on the second wave which successfully established the beachhead.
Thereafter he went on to become the director of operations at the Army Headquarters; regimental commander of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps; general officer commanding of the 3 Division and general officer commanding of the 2 Division. He retired from the army with the rank of major general in 1996.
General Kalupahana is a graduate of the
Armed Forces Staff and Command College in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. He was awarded the
Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP) for combat bravery, the service medal
Uttama Seva Padakkama
The Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP, Meritorious Service Medal) ( Sinhala: උත්තම සේවා පදක්කම ''uṭṭama sēvā padakkama'') is presented to all ranks of the regular forces of the Sri Lankan military for:
Award proc ...
(USP), the
, the
Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal
The Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal ( Sinhala: සන්නද්ධ සේවා දීර්ඝ සේවා පදක්කම ''ārakśaka sēvā dhīrgha sēvā padakkama'') was a service medal of Ceylon from 1968 to 1972. It was gr ...
and the
Purna Bhumi Padakkama.
In 2010, he gave evidence to the
Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.
Kalupahana alleges CBK undermined ‘reconciliation process’
/ref>
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kalupahana, Devinda
Sri Lankan major generals
Year of birth missing (living people)
Alumni of Royal College, Colombo
Living people
Graduates of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst
Sinhalese military personnel
Sri Lanka Armoured Corps officers
Bundeswehr Command and Staff College alumni