Update:
Defence Secretary, Army Chief promoted to General rank
Camelia Nathaniel
Defence Secretary Major General (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne and Army Commander Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva were promoted to the rank of General yesterday.
President Gotabaya Rajapaksa had taken the decision to promote both Major General (Rtd) Kamal Gunaratne and Lieutenant General Shavendra Silva to the rank of General.
However, no further details were available at the time the paper went to print regarding on the promotions.
Both General Gunaratne and General Silva were actively involved in the defeat of the LTTE.
General G.D.H. Kamal Gunaratne, has a distinguished military career of over 35 years and has held many key appointments in all areas of Defence and Civil - Military Coordination. He assumed duties as the Secretary of the Defence Ministry on November 20, 2019. He also served as the Deputy Ambassador in Brazil from 2012 to 2015.
General Shavendra Silva has been serving as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army since August 2019. He is also the Chief of Defence Staff, appointed in early 2020. Currently, he is also serving as the Head of the National Operations Centre for Prevention of COVID-19 Outbreak (NOCPCO).
