General (Sri Lanka)
General is the second highest rank in the Sri Lankan Army and is a four-star rank. The rank is held by a Chief of the Defence Staff or is mostly awarded as a ceremonial rank to retiring Commanders of the Army. The serving Commander of the Army since the 1970s have head the rank of Lieutenant-General with a brief exception in 2009 when Field Marshal Sarath Fonseka was promoted as a General while he was still the Army Commander. Sepala Attygalle was the first to be appointed to the rank of General. Three former/retired Volunteer Force officers have been appointed to the rank, these include Sir John Kotelawala, Ranjan Wijeratne (posthumously) and Anuruddha Ratwatte.
A general's insignia is a crossed sword and baton. A Major-General has a pip over this emblem; a Lieutenant-General a Sri Lanka emblem instead of a pip; and a full General both a pip and the Sri Lanka emblem.
Brigadiers, although equivalent to Brigadier Generals in other armies, are now considered to be general officers in the Sri Lankan Army.
See also
References
- Army, Sri Lanka. (1st Edition - October 1999). "50 YEARS ON" - 1949-1999, Sri Lanka Army. ISBN 955-8089-02-8