A total of 98 officers of the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) have been elevated to their next ranks, Military Secretariat announced on Saturday (06).

The promotions have been granted by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces with the concurrence of the Ministry of Defence and recommendations of the Chief of Defence Staff, Commander of the Army, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva.

Accordingly, 61 Officers from Captain to Major rank, 19 from Major to Lieutenant Colonel rank, 14 from Lieutenant Colonel to Colonel rank, and 4 from Lieutenant Colonel to brevet Colonel rank have been promoted. 

The promotion of 98 Officers to their next rank within a single day in the SLAVF is regarded as one of the rarest occurrences in the SLAVF’s recent history.

The Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army who maintains that those overdue promotions, a wholehearted reflection for their deserving career prospects and their hard-earned happiness, would certainly act a stimulus to them to perform better in future since a promotion would also multiply productivity and selfless services and serve a gesture for others to follow and admire.

With structural changes being effected, steps were also adopted in the most recent past to grant more and more such career promotions for the best interests of hard-working Officers, Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva commented.

The SLAVF, which traces its origin to the year 1861 out of a civilian rifle club and turned broad-based for infantry soldiering by a proclamation issued on 01 April 1881 as Ceylon Volunteer Force was changed to be called the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force after the country became a Republic with a special proclamation on 22nd May 1972. Since its founding, the SLAVF has to-date produced hundreds, if not thousands of volunteer professionals and infantrymen of the highest caliber.