Lt. Gen. Shavendra Silva's journey to become the Commander of the Army

COLOMBO (News 1st) - Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva was appointed as the 23rd Commander of the Army today (August 11). Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva was presented his letter of appointment by the President at the Presidential Secretariat this morning. Several officials including the Secretary to the President, Udaya R. Seneviratne, Defence Secretary General Shantha Kottegoda were present at the occasion. Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva who is a past pupil of St. Thomas' College, Matale joined the Sri Lanka Army as a Cadet Officer on March 5th in 1984. Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva and his journey to be hailed as the 23rd Commander of the Army  Following the completion of his training on November 16th 1985 he was promoted as a Second Lieutenant and joined the Gajaba Regiment as one of its very first members. He was the Commanding Officer of the 1st, the 5th and the 8th battalions of the Gajaba Regiment from 1995 to 1998. He played a major part in all the crucial operations leading up to the victory of the Civil War in 2009. Shavendra Silva held the posts of the Chief of Staff of the Training Board of the Sri Lanka Army, Chief of Staff of the Security Forces Headquarters in Jaffna and the Chief of Staff of the War Services Secretariat from 2000 to 2005. He was appointed as the Brigadier of the 531st Brigade in 2006 and as Head of the 58th Regiment in 2007. He held the post until the end of the War in 2009 and was appointed as a permanent representative of the United Nations in 2010. He returned to Sri Lanka as the head of the 53rd Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. Shavendra Silva was appointed as the Executive General at the Sri Lanka Army Headquarters in 2017 and was appointed as the Commander of the Gajaba Regiment on April 22nd of the same year. He was appointed as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army in January this year. He also has been awarded the Weera Wickrama Vibhushanaya, Rana Wickrama Padakkama, Rana Sura Padakkama, Uttama Seva Padakkama and Vishista Sewa Vibushanaya medals in his time at the Sri Lanka Army. Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva is the first-ever Commander of the Sri Lanka Army who was appointed from the Gajaba Regiment.