Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
Jayanath Colombage,
RSP,
VSV,
USP,
FNI is a
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
n
flag officer
A flag officer is a commissioned officer in a nation's armed forces senior enough to be entitled to fly a flag to mark the position from which the officer exercises command.
The term is used differently in different countries:
*In many countr ...
and diplomat. He was the
Secretary
A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...
of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
(Foreign Secretary) until 2022, prior to which he served as
Additional Secretary to the President for foreign relations.
A career naval officer, he had served as the
Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, the professional head of the navy from September 2012 to June 2014.
Early life and education
Educated at
St. Sylvester's College, Kandy, Colombage was an athlete, captaining the college athletic team from 1976 to 1978, winning college colours and Sri Lanka Schools Colours for athletics. He was a Senior Prefect and Lance Sergeant of the College Cadet Platoon. Colombage holds a Master of Science in Defence Studies from the
University of Madras
The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigiou ...
, a Master of Arts in International Studies from
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...
and a PhD from
. His thesis was titled
''Asymmetric Warfare a Sea''. He has gained Diplomas in Security Studies, Conflict Resolution, International Affairs and Information Technology. He is a
Fellow of the Nautical Institute and has served as the Chairman of the Sri Lanka Branch.
Naval career
Colombage joined the Sri Lanka Navy as an
Officer Cadet
Officer Cadet is a rank held by military cadets during their training to become commissioned officers. In the United Kingdom, the rank is also used by members of University Royal Naval Units, University Officer Training Corps and University Air ...
in 1978 and successfully completed his basic training at the
Naval and Maritime Academy
Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee, is the naval academy of the Sri Lanka Navy, and is located within SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee. It received university status in 2001 under the leadership of Commodore SR Samaratunga.
History
The Sri ...
in
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
winning the ‘Sword of Honour’ for the Best Officer Cadet of the 7th Intake. He was then selected to attend the International Midshipmen Course at the
Britannia Royal Naval College
Britannia Royal Naval College (BRNC), commonly known as Dartmouth, is the naval academy of the United Kingdom and the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy. It is located on a hill overlooking the port of Dartmouth, Devon, En ...
in
Dartmouth. On his return, he was commissioned a
Sub Lieutenant
Sub-lieutenant is usually a junior officer rank, used in armies, navies and air forces.
In most armies, sub-lieutenant is the lowest officer rank. However, in Brazil, it is the highest non-commissioned rank, and in Spain, it is the second high ...
in the executive branch. Having served in many capacities at sea, he has commanded several types ships of the Sri Lanka Navy including Fast Missile Vessels, Fast Gun Boats, Fast Attack Craft and amphibious ships and has been awarded the Surface Warfare Badge. He is a weapon specialist who has undergone extensive training with the Indian Navy and in the People's Republic of China. He has attended the
Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, the
Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies The Daniel K. Inouye Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies (DKI APCSS) is a U.S. Department of Defense institute that officially opened Sept. 4, 1995, in Honolulu, Hawaii. The Center addresses regional and global security issues, inviting militar ...
and the
Royal College of Defence Studies
The Royal College of Defence Studies (RCDS) instructs the most promising senior officers of the British Armed Forces, His Majesty's Diplomatic Service and Civil Service in national defence and international security matters at the highest level ...
.
He has commanded four Operational Naval Commands, Eastern, Northern, Western and North Central, for a period of over 5 years. He served twice as the Director General Operations at Naval Headquarters. Prior to that, he served as the Director General Services as well as the Director Naval Training and Personnel. He has also served in the appointments of Deputy Area Commander (North Central), Deputy Area Commander (South) and Deputy Area Commander (East). He became the second officer to be appointed as Commander of the Navy from Operational Naval Command, having served as Commander, Eastern Naval Area prior to his appointment as Commander of the Navy promotion to the rank of
Vice Admiral in 2012. He retired from the navy in 2014 and was promoted to the rank of
Admiral
Admiral is one of the highest ranks in some navies. In the Commonwealth nations and the United States, a "full" admiral is equivalent to a "full" general in the army or the air force, and is above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet, ...
.
Colombage has been a regular lecturer at the
Defence Services Command and Staff College
The Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC) is situated at Batalanda, Makola (South) 12 Kilometers away from Colombo and its aim to develop the professional knowledge and understanding of experienced officers of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri ...
. Specializing in maritime security, he has published several papers at national seminars. He has been certified by the International Maritime Organization as a lecturer in International Conventions on Port and Ship Security. He has published a book titled ‘Naval Terms and Expressions’ and actively contributes to various academic forums.
He is a recipient of the
Rana Sura Padakkama
Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP, Combat Excellence Medal) ( Sinhala: රණ ශූර පදක්කම ''rana śūra padakkama'') is awarded to servicepersons of all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual ...
for gallantry. Among the other medals awarded to him are the
Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
The Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya (VSV, Distinguished Service Decoration) ( Sinhala: විශිෂ්ට සේවා විභූෂණය ''viṣiṣta sēvā vibhūṣaṇaya'') is awarded to senior officers of the Military of Sri Lanka in reco ...
, the
Uttama Seva Padakkama
The Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP, Eminent Service Medal) ( Sinhala: උත්තම සේවා පදක්කම ''uṭṭama sēvā padakkama'') is presented to all ranks of the regular forces of the Sri Lankan military for:
Award process
Th ...
, the
Sri Lanka Navy 50th Anniversary Medal
The Sri Lanka Navy 50th Anniversary Medal ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා නාවික හමුදා 50වන සංවත්සර පදක්කම ''Śrī Laṃkā nāvika hamudā panasvana sangwathsara padakkama'') was presented ...
, the
, the
President's Inauguration Medal __NOTOC__
The President's Inauguration Medal ( Sinhala: ජනාධිපති ධූරප්රාප්ත පදක්කම ''janādhipathi dhūraprāptha padakkama'') was a decoration of the Military of Sri Lanka, granted to all regula ...
, the
50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal
The 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal ( Sinhala: ස්වර්ණ ජයන්ති පදක්කම ''swarna jayanthi padakkama'') was a military decoration awarded by the Military of Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces ...
, the
Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal
The Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal was a Sri Lankan campaign medal for action during Eelam War IV, presented to:
* The Minister of Defence, the deputy Minister of Defence, the Defence Secretary, Service Commanders and the Inspector General ...
, the
Northern Humanitarian Operations Medal
The Northern Humanitarian Operations Medal was a Sri Lankan campaign medal for action during Eelam War IV, presented to:
* The Minister of Defence, the deputy Minister of Defence, the Defence Secretary, Service Commanders and the Inspector Gener ...
, the
North and East Operations Medal
The North and East Operations Medal ( Sinhala: උතුරු නැගෙනහිර සංග්රාමික පදක්කම ''uthuru nægenahira sangrāmika padakkama'') was a decoration presented to servicepersons of the Military o ...
, the
Purna Bhumi Padakkama
The Purna Bhumi Padakkama ( Sinhala: පූර්ණ භූමි පදක්කම ''pūrna bhūmi padakkama'') was a service medal awarded by the Military of Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democ ...
, the
Vadamarachchi Operation Medal
The Vadamarachchi Operation Medal ( Sinhala: වඩමාරච්චි මෙහෙයුම් පදක්කම ''vadamārachchi meheyum padakkama'') was a campaign medal presented to all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Mili ...
and the
Riviresa Campaign Services Medal
The Riviresa Campaign Services Medal ( Sinhala: රිවිරැස මෙහෙයුම් පදක්කම ''riviræsa meheyum padakkama'') was a campaign medal presented to all ranks of the regular and volunteer forces of the Military of ...
. He has been awarded ‘Letters of Commendation’ from several Commanders of the Navy and is the recipient of the 5-Star Commendation Badge.
Continuing his athletic career after joining the navy, Colombage has won Navy Colours. He held the post of President of the Sri Lanka Navy Athletics Club from 1999 to 2006 and also served as President of the Ceylonese Track and Field Club, President of the Sri Lanka Navy Sports Board and a Vice President of the Defence Services Sports Board.
Later work
Following his retirement from the navy, Colombage worked as the Director for Indo-Sri Lanka initiatives and law of the sea centers at the Pathfinder Foundation, a Colombo-based think tank. In December 2019, he was appointed the
Additional Secretary to the
President of Sri Lanka
The President of Sri Lanka ( si, ශ්රී ලංකා ජනාධිපති ''Śrī Laṃkā Janādhipathi''; ta, இலங்கை சனாதிபதி ''Ilankai janātipati'') is the head of state and head of government of t ...
for foreign relations. In February 2020, he was appointed Director General of the Institute of National Security Studies of Sri Lanka. In August 2020, he was appointed
Permanent Secretary
A permanent secretary (also known as a principal secretary) is the most senior Civil Service (United Kingdom), civil servant of a department or Ministry (government department), ministry charged with running the department or ministry's day-to-day ...
of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...
.
See also
*
List of Sri Lankan non-career Permanent Secretaries
This is a list of Sri Lankan non-career Permanent Secretaries; they are from different professions. The list includes doctors, engineers, journalists, professional politicians, university lecturers, lawyers, journalists, defence officers, and p ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Colombage, Jayanath
Sri Lankan admirals
Sinhalese military personnel
Commanders of the Navy (Sri Lanka)
Graduates of Britannia Royal Naval College
Naval and Maritime Academy graduates
Alumni of St. Sylvester's College
University of Madras alumni
Alumni of King's College London
Graduates of the Royal College of Defence Studies
Alumni of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University
1957 births
Living people
Defence Services Staff College alumni