General Daya Ratnayake
General R. M. Daya Ratnayake, WWV, RWP and three Bars, RSP, USP, is a former senior Sri Lanka Army officer who served as the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army from 2013 to 2015. After retiring, he became the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Ports Authority and Secretary to the Ministry of Industries.
He was educated at Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala, and started his military career as an officer cadet in 1980, receiving his basic training at the Sri Lanka Military Academy. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1981 in the Sri Lanka Light Infantry, he completed various advanced military courses and commanded the 6th Battalion, Sri Lanka Light Infantry. Ratnayake attended several prestigious defense institutions globally, including the Defence Service Command and Staff College in Bangladesh, the National Defence University in China, and the Army Intelligence School in the United States.
Ratnayake played key roles in military operations in the Eastern province, including the liberation of Vakare and Thoppigala, and served as the Commissioner General for the rehabilitation of ex-LTTE combatants. He held several significant positions, including Commanding Officer of the Sri Lanka Military Academy and Director Media and Military Spokesman for the Ministry of Defence. On August 1, 2013, he became the 20th Commander of the Sri Lanka Army, and upon his retirement in February 2015, he was promoted to full general by President Maithripala Sirisena.
Awards |  Weera Wickrama Vibhushanaya, |
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