Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army

Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army (DCOS) has been the title of the third in command of the Sri Lanka Army created in 1994. The post is held by a regular officer of the rank of Major General and is the third senior position in the army. Deputy of Staff is charged with assisting the Chief of Staff of the Army in both operational and administrative aspects, functioning as the Acting Army Commander in his absences or incantation.

List of Deputy Chiefs of Staff NoDeputy Chief of StaffTook officeLeft officeUnit of commissionNotes1 Major General Rohan Daluwatte 19941 June 1995Ceylon Armoured CorpsLater Major General Rohan Daluwatte was appointed as 26th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army and later as 14th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.2 Major General W. R. Wijerathne 19951995 Gemunu Watch3 Major General A. M. U. Seneviratne 199530 April 1996Ceylon Light InfantryLater Major General A. M. U. Seneviratne was appointed as 27th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army.4 Major General Gemunu Kulatunge 1996 October 1996 Ceylon Sinha Regiment5 Major General Srilal Weerasooriya October 199622 February 1998 Ceylon ArtilleryLater Major General Srilal Weerasooriya was appointed as 29th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army and later as 15th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.6 Major General Jaliya Nammuni 19986 September 1998 Ceylon Sinha Regiment7 Major General Asoka Jayawardena 6 September 199812 November 1998 Ceylon Light Infantry8 Major General S. T. T. (Sathis) Jayasundera Rajarata Rifles / Gajaba Regiment9 Major General L. P. Balagalle February 1999 1 April 1999 Ceylon Artillery Later Major General Lionel Balagalle was appointed as 31st Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army and later as 16th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On 10 October 2003, he was appointed as Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) as serving army commander.10 Major General Janaka Perera 1999 April 14 June 2000 Ceylon EngineersLater Major General Janaka Perera was appointed as 32nd Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army11 Major General Neil Dias June 2000 1 February 2001Ceylon Armoured Corps Later Major General Neil Dias appointed as 33rd Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army.12 Major General Lohan Gunawardena 1 February 2001 13 April 2002Gemunu Watch Later Major General Lohan Gunawardena appointed as 34th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army.13Major General A.E.D. Wijendra 13 April 200231 August 2003 Sri Lanka Engineers 14Major General Shantha Kottegoda 13 August 200323 November 2003Ceylon Light Infantry Later Major General Shantha Kottegoda was appointed as 35th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka army and later as 17th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. On his retirement he was promoted to General.15Major General Chula Seneviratne 23 November 200330 June 2004Ceylon Signals CorpsLater Major General Chula Seneviratne was appointed as 36th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka army.16Major General Sarath Fonseka1 July 2004 9 December 2004 Sri Lanka Sinha RegimentLater Major General Sarath Fonseka was appointed as 37th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army and later as 18th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General. At the end of the war he was promoted to General, becoming the first army commander to hold a full General rank. On 15 July 2009 he was the first person appointed CDS under the newly approved Chief of Defence Staff Act. On On 22 March 2015, he was promoted to Field Marshal.17Major General M.D.S. Chandrapala9 December 2004 6 December 2005Sri Lanka Engineers 18Major General Parami Kulatunga6 December 2005 24 June 2006Gemunu Watch Major General Kulatunga was posthumously promoted to the rank of lieutenant general effective from 28 June 2006.19Major General D.V.S.Y. Kulatunga24 July 20063 February 2007Sri Lanka Armoured Corps 20Major General N Wijesinghe3 February 2007 5 February 2008Sri Lanka Artillery 21Major General Upul Perera7 May 2009 29 January 2010Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 22Major General A.L.R. Wijetunga22 November 2010 11 July 2012Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 23Major General Piyal Abeysekera12 July 2012 8 May 2014 Sri Lanka Signals Corps24Major General Mahinda Ambanpola2 June 201415 February 2016Engineer Services Regiment25 Major General K.A.S. Perera16 February 201630 September 2016Rajarata Rifles / Gajaba Regiment 26 Major General Channa Gunathilaka1 November 201615 December 2016Sri Lanka EngineersLater Major General Channa Gunathilaka was appointed as 49th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka army.27Major General R.V. Udawatte15 December 2016July 2017 Sri Lanka Army Ordnance Corps28Major General Dampath Fernando4 August 2017 26 March 2018Gemunu Watch Later Major General Dampath Fernando was appointed as 52nd Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka army.29Major General Ajith Kariyakarawana18 April 201821 April 2019 Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment30Major General Vajira PalihakkaraApril 2018June 2019 *Acting Deputy Chief of Staff31Major General Kumudu Perera4 July 201929 October 2019Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment32Major General Nirmal Dharmaratne 22 November 201919 April 2020Gajaba Regiment33Major General Rasika Fernando 2 June 2020 30 September 2020 Gajaba Regiment 34Major General Duminda Sirinaga 1 October 2020 8 January 2021 Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers 35Major General Wasantha Madola14 January 2021 7 September 2021 Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police 36Major General Sampath Kotuwegoda8 September 2021 21 December 2021 Sri Lanka Artillery 37Major General Jagath Kodithuwakku21 December 2021 7 June 2022 Sri Lanka Light Infantry Later Major General Jagath Kodithuwakku was appointed as 60th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka army.38Major General Channa Weerasuriya16 June 2022 29 November 2022Sri Lanka Light Infantry Later Major General Channa Weerasuriya was appointed as 61st Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka army.39Major General Sujeewa Senarath Yapa14 December 2022 8 June 2023Sri Lanka Army Special Forces Regiment 40 Major General Sanjaya Wanasinghe8 June 2023 14 July 2023Sri Lanka Artillery Later Major General Sanjaya Wanasinghe was appointed as 62nd Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army.41 Major General C.D Ranasinghe18 July 2023 27 October 2023Gajaba Regiment42 Major General G.R.R.P Jayawardena21 November 2023 08 December 2023 Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment43 Major General S.P.A.I.M.B Samarakoon15 December 2023 November 2024 Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers44 Major General Lasantha Rodrigo 28 November 202430 December 2024 Sri Lanka ArtilleryLater Major General B.K.G.M.L Rodrigo was appointed as 25th Commander of the Army and promoted to Lieutenant General.45 Major General Chandana Wickramasinghe 2 January 2025 8 February 2025 Gajaba RegimentLater Major General Chandana Wickramasinghe was appointed as 66th Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army.46 Major General Lanka Amarapala 14 February 2025 25 June 2025 Sri Lanka Engineers47 Major General Y.A.B.M. Yahampath 26 June 2025 1 April 2026 Sri Lanka Light Infantry 48 Major General K.V.N.P. Premaratne 6 April 2026 31 May 2026 Sri Lanka Artillery 49 Major General U.K.D.D.P. Udugama 2 June 2026 To Date Gajaba Regiment

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External links

Sri Lanka Army