Commander of the Army (Sri Lanka)

Commander of the Army is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is Lieutenant General Daya Ratnanayake. It is a position comparable to that of Chief of the General Staff of the British Army.

The post traces its roots to the post of General Officer Commanding, Ceylon, which was the title of the General Officer Commanding of the British Army units in Ceylon prior to independence in 1948. After the formation of the Ceylon Army in 1949, its first commanding officer was of the rank of Brigadier, hence the title Commander of the Ceylon Army was formally adapted although it was at times referred as General Officer Commanding, Ceylon as far as the 1960s. In the recent past serving army commanders have been of the rank of Lieutenant General, promoted to the honorary rank of General when retiring or promoted to Chief of Defence Staff, except in the case of General Sarath Fonseka and Jagath Jayasuriya, in which case he was made General when he was still the Commander of the Army.

General Jagath Jayasuriya relinquished his position as Commander, on 1 August 2013, and was promoted to Chief of the Defence Staff, the most senior appointment in the Sri Lankan Armed Forces.