Army Commander appointed Chief of Defence Staff

President Maithripala Sirisena appointed Army Commander Lt. General Crishantha De Silva as the Chief of Defence Staff with a promotion to the rank of General with effect from yesterday. He has been serving as the 21st Commander of the Sri Lanka Army to-date since February 22, 2015. Enlisted to the Army on February 6, 1980 and commissioned afterwards on July 18, 1981, as a Second Lieutenant in the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers, he counts an exemplary service career spanning over 37 years in the Army.

He was subsequently promoted to the ranks of Captain (1985), Major (1989), Lieutenant Colonel (1994), Colonel (1997), Brigadier (2003) and Major General on November 30, 2009. Upon his assumption of the Army Commander’s Office on February 22, 2015, he was elevated to the rank of Lieutenant General.

He took office as the Chief of Staff on August 1, 2013, before undertaking an overseas assignment as Deputy Chief of Mission to the Embassy of Sri Lanka in Moscow on May 16, 2014.

Blending wide experience and service, General De Silva has held many key staff appointments at the Army Headquarters, including the appointments of Military Secretary, Director Operations, Additional Military Secretary, Director Plans and Colonel (Administration) at the Directorate of Personnel Administration.

In addition, he was the Commandant, Chief Instructor and Directing Staff at the Army Command and Staff College and was the first officer to hold all three appointments. General De Silva is a proud product of the prestigious Royal College, Colombo and is more popularly known as ‘Crisanthe’ in the organization and among his associates. General De Silva is married to Nayana De Silva and is blessed with twin sons.

 

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