Admiral Ravindra C. Wijegunaratne, is to retire from the post of Chief of Defence Staff tomorrow (December 31).
The Admiral who was appointed as the CDS on August 22, 2017, was due to retire on August 22, 2019 on completion of his first two year tenure. However, the term was extended till December 31 by former President Maithripala Sirisena.
He was the Commander of the Navy from July 11, 2015 to August 22, 2017 prior to being appointed as CDS.
The CDS carries four medals for Gallantry including the Weerodhara Vibushanaya (WV). He is the founder of the Special Boats Squadron (SBS) of the Sri Lanka Navy and the Naval Commando Unit.
Admiral Wijegunaratne becomes the longest serving military officer in the country, served more than 39 years.
He joined SLN at the age of 18 years, as an officer cadet of the 9th Intake and trained in Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee.
