Daya Ratnayake

Lieutenant General R. M. Daya Ratnayake, WWV, RWP, RSP, USP, ndu, psc is the 20th and current Commander of the Sri Lanka Army.

Education and Family
He was educated at Maliyadeva College, Kurunegala. Upon commissioning, he followed the Commando Officers Course, Infantry Young Officers Course, Battalion Support Weapon Course, Junior Command and Senior Command Courses in India, Governance and Management of Defence Course at Cranfield University, UK, Higher Level Security Studies Diploma Course and Advanced Communication Skills Course in Asia-Pacific Centre for Security Studies in Honolulu, Hawaii, USA. He also graduated from Defence Service Command and Staff College, Bangladesh, National Defence University, China and Army Intelligence School, Fort Huachuca, Arizona, USA.

He is married to Priyadarshani Damayanthi and blessed with two sons and a daughter.

Military Career
He started his military career as a officer cadet in 1980 and commisioned as a second lieutenant in 1981 in the Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment. He served as the General Officer Commanding of 23 Infantry Division in the Eastern province. He played imporatant roles in the operations of Liberations of Vakare and Thoppigala. He also held the post of the Commissioner General Rehabilitation for rehabilitation of 12,000 ex-LTTE combatants under the Bureau of the Commissioner General Rehabilitation. His other notable appointments include Commanding Officer of Sri Lanka Military Academy and Director Media and Military Spokesman for the Ministry of Defence. On 1 August 2013, he became the 20th commander of the Sri Lanka Army and promoted to the post of a Lieutenant General simultaneously.

Awards and Decorations
He got many awards including Weera Wickrema Vibushanaya (WWV), Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP) (Awarded four times for Exceptional Gallantry), Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP) (Awarded four times for Gallantry), Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP) (For distinguished conduct) and Desha Puthra Padakkama (DPP) (For wounded in combat).