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 ...

Ravindra Chandrasiri Wijegunaratne, WV, RWP and Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI(M), ndc,

psn PlayStation Network (PSN) is a digital media entertainment service provided by Sony Interactive Entertainment. Launched in November 2006, PSN was originally conceived for the PlayStation video game consoles, but soon extended to encompass smartp ...

, is a retired Sri Lankan admiral, and former Chief of Defence Staff of the

Sri Lanka Armed Forces The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lank ...

. He has also served as the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy,

Chief of Staff The title chief of staff (or head of staff) identifies the leader of a complex organization such as the armed forces, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a principal staff officer (PSO), who is the coordinator of the supportin ...

of 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 ...

, the Director General of the

Sri Lanka Coast Guard The Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) (; ) is a Sri Lankan non-ministerial government department tasked with coast guard duties within the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. It comes under the purview of the Ministry of Defence (Sri Lanka), Ministry ...

and held, at various times, four of the seven Naval Commands of the SLN. Wijegunaratne has also served as Director Naval Operations, and is a recipient of the

Weerodara Vibhushanaya The Weerodara Vibhushanaya (WV, English:Order of Courage) ( Sinhala: වීරෝධාර වීභූෂණය ''vīrōdāra vibhūṣanaya'') is the second-highest decoration awarded by the Military of Sri Lanka awarded for: The Weerodara V ...

Education

Born in 1962, Wijegunaratne was educated at the

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 ...

from 1969. At Royal College, he was a President's Scout,

Lance sergeant Lance sergeant (LSgt or L/Sgt) is a military appointment in the armies of the Commonwealth and formerly also a rank in the United States Army. Commonwealth Lance-sergeant in the armies of the Commonwealth was an appointment given to a corporal ...

of the Herman Loos Cadet Platoon and a School Prefect in addition to representing the school in both hockey and basketball, as well as being an All-Island Junior Athletics Champion. He was the fourth Royalist to be appointed Commander of the SLN. Graduating in the same year, he enlisted in the Sri Lanka Navy on 1 November 1980 as an

officer cadet Officer cadet is a rank held by military personnel during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by personnel of University Service Units such as the University Officers' Training Corps. Th ...

as part of the 9th Intake at the

Naval and Maritime Academy Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee, is the naval academy of the Sri Lanka Navy, and is located within SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee. It received university status in 2001 under the leadership of Commodore SR Samaratunga. History The Sri ...

Trincomalee Trincomalee (; , ; , ), historically known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee District and major resort port city of Eastern Province, Sri Lanka, Eastern Province, Sri Lanka. Located on the east coast o ...

. He completed officer training as a

Midshipman A midshipman is an officer of the lowest Military rank#Subordinate/student officer, rank in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Royal Cana ...

at both

and Dartmouth (where he was awarded 'Best International

, 1982') in 1982. He would go on to follow a Sub-lieutenant technical course and specialize in anti-submarine warfare in India, and followed a staff course at the

Pakistan Navy War College The Pakistan Navy War College is a military staff college located in Walton Cantonment in Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan. The Navy War College takes pride itself as being the "center of excellence" as it educates and develops leaders in maritime ma ...

. In 1996 he gained a BSc in War Studies from the

University of Karachi The University of Karachi (; informally Karachi University, KU, or UoK) is a public research university located in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan. Established in June 1951 by an act of Parliament and as a successor to the University of Sindh (which is ...

, and later graduated from the

National Defense University National Defence (or Defense) University (or College) may refer to: :''Alphabetical by country'' University * Marshal Fahim National Defense University, Afghanistan * National Defense University (Azerbaijan) * People's Liberation Army National Defe ...

( NESA) and

National Defence College, India The National Defence College, located in New Delhi, is the defence service training institute and highest seat of strategic learning for officers of the Defence Service and the Civil Services. This is a very prestigious course attended only by ...

(50th NDC Course - 2010). In 2010, he obtained an

MPhil A Master of Philosophy (MPhil or PhM; Latin ' or ') is a postgraduate degree. The name of the degree is most often abbreviated MPhil (or, at times, as PhM in other countries). MPhil are awarded to postgraduate students after completing at least ...

in Defence and Strategic Studies at the

University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...

. He is a member of the

Nautical Institute The Nautical Institute (NI) is an international professional organisation for maritime professionals, based in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1971 and has the status of a company limited by guarantee and is registered with the Charity ...

Naval career

Starting out as a Sub-lieutenant, Admiral Wijegunaratne gained early exposure to the Sri Lankan Civil War fighting alongside India's

MARCOS Marcos may refer to: People with the given name ''Marcos'' *Marcos (given name) * Marcos family Sports ;Surnamed * Dayton Marcos, Negro league baseball team from Dayton, Ohio (early twentieth-century) * Dimitris Markos, Greek footballer * Né ...

in the

Indian Peace Keeping Force Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) was the Indian military contingent performing a peacekeeping operation in Sri Lanka between 1987 and 1990. It was formed under the mandate of the 1987 Indo-Sri Lankan Accord that aimed to end the Sri Lanka ...

's 1987

Operation Pawan Operation Pawan ( ''Kãryvãhi Pavan'', lit. "Operation Wind") was the code name assigned to the operation by the Indian Peace Keeping Force (IPKF) to take control of Jaffna from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), better known as the T ...

. Having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, he founded Sri Lanka's elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) in 1993, building on the work done by Lieutenant commander Shanthi Bahar. Wijegunaratne led the SBS during the

Battle of Pooneryn The Battle of Pooneryn (LTTE code-named ''Operation Thavalai Paachchal (Frog Leap)'') took place between the militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE or Tamil Tigers) and the Sri Lankan military during the Sri Lankan Civil War for con ...

and held its command twice through his career, once in 1993-1994 and again in 1999-2000. As a result of his specialization and work in the SBS, he is regarded as an expert in asymmetric naval warfare and small-boat operations. Between June 2005 and March 2006, he served as

Commanding Officer The commanding officer (CO) or commander, or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually give ...

of the SLN's flagship at that time, SLNS Sayura. He was also instrumental in forming the Sri Lanka Navy Marines. Promoted to the rank of

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

, and then to

Rear Admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in 2009, Wijegunaratne has held several appointments and commands within the

: *Director Naval Operations *Director Naval Weapon Systems *Director Special Forces *Director Maritime Surveillance *Commandant of the

Flag officer A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which that officer exercises command. Different countries use the term "flag officer" in different ways: * ...

Commanding Naval Fleet *Director General Services *Commander, Eastern Naval Command *Commander, Northern Naval Command *Commander, Western Naval Command *Commander, Southern Naval Command As Director Naval Operations in 2007, he oversaw the SLN's efforts to halt

Sea Tiger The Sea Tigers (Tamil: கடற்புலிகள் ''Kaţaṛpulikaḷ'') was the naval wing of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) during the Sri Lankan Civil War. It was founded in 1984. The Sea Tigers had a number of small but ...

arms smuggling, leading to the elimination of what are thought to be the

LTTE The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE; , ; also known as the Tamil Tigers) was a Tamil militant organization, that was based in the northern and eastern Sri Lanka. The LTTE fought to create an independent Tamil state called Tamil Eelam ...

's four final floating armouries. He was appointed the Chief of Staff of the

on 7 July 2014, and promoted to

Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

and appointed Commander of the Navy on 11 July 2015. On 22 February 2016, President

Maithripala Sirisena Maithripala Yapa Sirisena (; ; born 3 September 1951) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the seventh president of Sri Lanka from 9 January 2015 to 18 November 2019. Sirisena is Sri Lanka's first president from the North Central Province, S ...

granted him a six-month service extension as commander. On February 1st 2016 contributed to the construction and completion of a temple complex on an isolated mountain in Sri Lanka along with the Chief of Defense Staff, Air Chief Marshal Kolitha Gunathilake, has also provided invaluable support. On 18 August 2017, Wijegunaratne was promoted to the rank 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 ...

and appointed Chief of Defense Staff in light of his upcoming retirement from active service. He assumed duties as CDS on 22 August 2017. Wijegunaratne has also held a diplomatic post as First Secretary and

Defense Attaché Defense or defence may refer to: Tactical, martial, and political acts or groups * Defense (military), forces primarily intended for warfare * Civil defense, the organizing of civilians to deal with emergencies or enemy attacks * Defense indust ...

at the Sri Lankan High Commission in

New Delhi New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...

between 2001 and 2005. He has been a guest lecturer at the Center for Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups, US

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

and the

. bnt.jpg, Midshipman Wijegunaratne at Dartmouth Training22.jpg, Overseeing a series of diving missions training2.jpg, Taking part in an infiltration exercise PACOM Amphibious Leaders Symposium 2016 160714-M-MR595-0279.jpg, At the

USPACOM The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is the unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. It is the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands. Its commander, ...

Amphibious Leaders Symposium 2016

Later work

Admiral Wijegunaratne was appointed as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan by President

Ranil Wickremesinghe Ranil Wickremesinghe (; ; born 24 March 1949) is a Sri Lankan politician who served as the ninth president of Sri Lanka from 2022 to 2024. He has also served as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka from 1993–1994, 2001–2004, 2015–2018, 2018-2019 a ...

in October 2023.

Honors

His decorations include

Rana Wickrama Padakkama The Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP, Combat Gallantry Medal) (Sinhala language, Sinhala: රණ වික්‍රම පදක්කම) is awarded to Sri Lankan military service personnel serving in both the regular- and volunteer forces as a rew ...

twice,

Rana Sura Padakkama Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP, Combat Excellence Medal) ( Sinhala: රණ ශූර පදක්කම ''rana śūra padakkama'') is awarded to servicepersons of all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual ...

for gallantry;

Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya The Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya (VSV, Distinguished Service Order) ( Sinhala: විශිෂ්ට සේවා විභූෂණය ''viṣiṣta sēvā vibhūṣaṇaya'') is awarded to senior officers of the Military of Sri Lanka in recognit ...

and

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 ...

for meritorious service, and the Surface Warfare Badge.

Sri Lanka Navy 50th Anniversary Medal ribbon bar

Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal ribbon bar

50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal

Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal ribbon bar

Northern Humanitarian Operations Medal ribbon bar

North and East Operations Medal ribbon bar

Vadamarachchi Operation Medal ribbon bar

Riviresa Campaign Services Medal ribbon bar

On 13 February 2019, Admiral Wijegunaratne was awarded the

Nishan-e-Imtiaz The Nishan-e-Imtiaz (; ) is one of the state organized Civil decorations of Pakistan, civil decorations of Pakistan. It is awarded for achievements towards world recognition for Pakistan or outstanding service for the country. However, the awa ...

(Military) Medal by the President of Pakistan in Islamabad.

Personal life

Wijegunaratne is married to Yamuna De Saram and has one son, Satyajith. He has been a keen sportsman since his childhood, and is a qualified diver and parachutist; a parachuting accident in 2001 led to Wijegunaratne breaking both legs. In addition to playing hockey and basketball at school, he has represented the SLN in rugby, and rowing/sailing, both of which he has received Sri Lanka Navy

Colours Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...

for. He is an expert marksman, and has held the Chair of the Sri Lanka Rifle Association and the

Golf Club.

Controversy

Wijegunaratne was alleged to have threatened and assaulted a journalist during an SLN intervention during a violent dockworkers' strike at the

Hambantota Port The Hambantota International Port is a deep water port in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, notable for its 99-year lease to China Merchant Ports. Opened in 2010, it is Sri Lanka's second largest port, after Colombo. In 2020, the port handled 1.8 million ...

in December 2016

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wijegunaratne, Ravindra High commissioners of Sri Lanka to Pakistan Chiefs of the Defence Staff (Sri Lanka) Commanders of the Navy (Sri Lanka) Director General of Sri Lanka Coast Guard Sri Lankan admirals Sinhalese military personnel Sri Lankan male divers Sri Lankan military attachés Special Boat Squadron (Sri Lanka) officers Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Naval and Maritime Academy graduates Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College National Defense University alumni National Defence College, India alumni University of Madras alumni University of Karachi alumni Recipients of Nishan-e-Imtiaz Living people 1962 births Place of birth missing (living people) Recipients of the Weerodara Vibhushanaya Pakistan Naval War College alumni