General (abbreviated as Gen.) is the highest attainable and full general rank of the
Sri Lankan Army and was created as a direct equivalent of the
British military rank of general; it is also considered a
four-star rank.
The rank of full general is not always given; this rank is held by a
Chief of the Defence Staff (if the chief is appointed from the army and not from the navy or the air force) or is mostly awarded as a ceremonial rank to the
Commander of the Army on his day of retirement.
General is a higher rank than
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
, but is lower than field marshal. General is the equivalent of
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in many navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force. Admiral is ranked above vice admiral and below admiral of ...
in the
Sri Lanka Navy
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) (; ) is the navy, naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its ...
and
Air Chief Marshal in the
Sri Lanka Air Force
The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF; ; ) is the air force, air arm and the youngest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. It was founded in 1951 as the Royal Ceylon Air Force (RCyAF) with the assistance of the Royal Air Force (RAF). The SLAF played a major r ...
.
History
When the
Ceylon Army
The Sri Lanka Army (; ) is the oldest and largest of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. The army was officially established as the Ceylon Army in 1949, though the army traces its roots back in 1881 when Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was created; t ...
was formed the rank of general was the highest rank defined under the Army Act of 1949. Since the formation the
British Army
The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...
officer heading the army held the rank of
brigadier
Brigadier ( ) is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore (rank), commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several t ...
and the first Ceylonese officer to command the army,
Anton Muttukumaru was promoted to the rank of
major general in 1958.
In 1974, then commander of the army,
Sepala Attygalle was promoted to the rank of
lieutenant general
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was norma ...
and ever since then all serving commanders of the army held the rank of lieutenant general, customarily promoted to the rank on appointment to the post of commander of the army.
Sepala Attygalle became the first officer to be promoted to the rank of general on his retirement from the army on 13 October 1977. Former Prime Minister of Ceylon,
Sir John Kotelawala was appointed to the honorary rank of general of the
Volunteer Force
The Volunteer Force was a citizen army of part-time rifle, artillery and engineer corps, created as a Social movement, popular movement throughout the British Empire in 1859. Originally highly autonomous, the units of volunteers became increa ...
in 1980. In 1986,
Cyril Ranatunga became the first
regular officer to be promoted to the rank of general, without serving as the commander of the army until
Kamal Gunaratne was promoted in 2020. In 1991,
Ranjan Wijeratne was the only person appointed to the rank posthumously. Since 1991, it became customary for all commanders of the army to be promoted to the rank of general on the final day of service if they were retiring or appointed as Chief of the Defence Staff. In 2007, two former commanders of the army were also promoted to the rank of general. In 2009,
Sarath Fonseka became the first officer to hold the rank of general, while serving as commander of the army for a brief period.
[Former service chiefs promoted](_blank)
/ref> Jagath Jayasuriya was promoted to general while serving as the commander of the army in 2013. In 2015, the higher ceremonial rank of field marshal
Field marshal (or field-marshal, abbreviated as FM) is the most senior military rank, senior to the general officer ranks. Usually, it is the highest rank in an army (in countries without the rank of Generalissimo), and as such, few persons a ...
was created. General remains the highest rank under the Army Act and is the highest pay grade in the army. In 2020, Shavendra Silva was promoted to the rank while concurrently serving as both commander of the army and chief of the defence staff.
Insignia
A general officer's insignia is a crossed sword and baton. A Major-General has a pip over this emblem; a Lieutenant-General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...
a Sri Lanka emblem instead of a pip; and a full General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
both a pip and the Sri Lanka emblem. The Gorget patches of the ''General officer pattern'', gold/silver oak leaf chain of two oak leave, four gold/silver stars on scarlet background with a gold/silver button; worn on Dress No 2A, 4, 5, 5A, 6, 6A, 6B, 7 and 8. The Gorget patches of the ''General Officers Large/Medium patterns'', of gold braided (bullion wire) three oak leaves on scarlet background with a gold button, worn by the officers in the rank of major general and above for Dress No1, No 3 and 3A.
References
*Army, Sri Lanka. (1st Edition - October 1999). ''"50 YEARS ON" - 1949-1999'', Sri Lanka Army.
External links
Sri Lanka Army
Ministry of Defence - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Three Service Commanders promoted : Official Government News Portal
{{Military of Sri Lanka
Military ranks of the Sri Lanka Army