Major General Milinda Peiris, currently the Vice Chancellor at General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU), has been appointed as the new Chief of Staff (COS) of the Sri Lanka Army effective from today (12).
He is the 47th Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, the second highest appointment in the organization.
Meanwhile Major General A.K.S Perera, Commander, Security Force Headquarters - Central (SFHQ-C) has been appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff in the Army, effective from 16 February 2016, the military spokesman said.
Major General Perera, more popularly known as ‘Sumedha’ among his associates is attached to the Gajaba Regiment and has a career span of more than 35 years. He replaces Major General E. M. M Ambanpola who is retiring in a couple of days.
Major General Milinda Peiris who has a distinguished career in the Army for 35 years is attached to the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC).
He joined the Sri Lanka Army as an Officer Cadet in 1980 and had his basic training at the Officers Training School in Madras, India.
In addition to the Vice Chancellor’s portfolio, Major General Milinda Peiris has been appointed as a member of the National Education Commission of Sri Lanka, the Standing Committee on Quality Assurance and Accreditation Council of University Grants Commission, Sri Lanka, the Council of University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka, the Board of Management of the Lakshman Kadiragamar Institute for International Relations and Strategic Studies (LKIIRSS), and in the Board of Management of Defence Services Command & Staff College.
He also serves as the Chairman of Sir John Kotelawala Memorial Trust. Further, Major General Milinda Peiris is the present Colonel Commandant of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, and prior to this appointment he served as the Colonel of the Regiment of the Mechanized Infantry Regiment for four years.
He is a recipient of Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP) and Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP) awarded for conspicuous gallantry in battle. He is also a recipient of the Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP) for his unblemished military career in the Army and the Legion of Merit (LOM) which is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements.
