General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
N.U.M. Mahesh W. Senanayke,
RWP,
RSP,
VSV,
USP is a retired
Sri Lankan Army
ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம்
, image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png
, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
officer who served as the
Commander of the Sri Lanka Army
The Commander of the Army ( si, ශ්රී ලංකාවේ යුද්ධ හමුදාපති, śrī laṁkāvē yuddha hamudāpati) is the title of the professional head of the Sri Lanka Army. The current Commander of the Army is ...
from 2017 to 2019. Senanayake had previously been the
Commander, Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna,
General Officer Commanding,
52 Division and
Brigade Commander
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
, Special Forces Brigade. Having started his military career as a
military engineer
Military engineering is loosely defined as the art, science, and practice of designing and building military works and maintaining lines of military transport and military communications. Military engineers are also responsible for logistics b ...
, Senanayake became a
special forces officer and is a veteran of all four phases of the
Sri Lankan Civil War, he has served in both its Northern and Eastern theaters. Following his retirement, he contested the
2019 Sri Lankan presidential election
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Mus ...
and came fourth after the three candidates of the three major political parties in the island.
Education
Educated at
Ananda College
''Appamādo Amathapadan''
(Buddhist quote from the Apramada Vagga in the Dhammapada)
, motto_translation = Heedfulness, Punctuality leads to Nirvana
, location = P De S Kularatne Mawatha
, city = Colom ...
,
Colombo
Colombo ( ; si, කොළඹ, translit=Koḷam̆ba, ; ta, கொழும்பு, translit=Koḻumpu, ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo me ...
, he holds a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from
Jawaharlal Nehru University
Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) is a public major research university located in New Delhi, India. It was established in 1969 and named after Jawaharlal Nehru, India's first Prime Minister. The university is known for leading faculties and r ...
,
Pune
Pune (; ; also known as Poona, (List of renamed Indian cities and states#Maharashtra, the official name from 1818 until 1978) is one of the most important industrial and educational hubs of India, with an estimated population of 7.4 million ...
and is a graduate of the
United States Army Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
.
Military career
Early career
Senanayake enlisted in the Sri Lanka Army through its 16th Officer Cadet Intake (long course) on 16 October 1981 at the
Sri Lanka Military Academy
The Sri Lanka Military Academy () (SLMA or SLMA Diyatalawa), commonly known simply as Diyatalawa, is the Sri Lanka Army's training centre where officer cadets are trained for getting commission. It is located in the garrison town of Diyatalawa ...
in
Diyatalawa
Diyatalawa (දියතලාව, meaning “the watered plain”) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destination ...
.
Subsequent to completing his training, Senanayake was commissioned as a
Second Lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
in the
Corps of Engineers, joining the 1st Plant Engineer Regiment on 23 June 1983.
He would go on to become a Troop Commander and a Squadron Commander in the same regiment, as well as being posted as an instructor at Sri Lanka Military Academy.
In 1989, he took an inter-unit transfer to the
Special Forces Regiment
Special or specials may refer to:
Policing
* Specials, Ulster Special Constabulary, the Northern Ireland police force
* Specials, Special Constable, an auxiliary, volunteer, or temporary; police worker or police officer
Literature
* ''Speci ...
, where he served as Squadron Commander in the 1 Special Forces Regiment (1 SF). In August 1996, Major Senanayake was appointed the first
commanding officer
The commanding officer (CO) or sometimes, if the incumbent is a general officer, commanding general (CG), is the officer in command of a military unit. The commanding officer has ultimate authority over the unit, and is usually given wide latitu ...
of the newly formed 3 Special Forces Regiment (3 SF) which soon specialized in
Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol
A long-range reconnaissance patrol, or LRRP (pronounced "lurp"), is a small, well-armed reconnaissance team that patrols deep in enemy-held territory.Ankony, Robert C., ''Lurps: A Ranger's Diary of Tet, Khe Sanh, A Shau, and Quang Tri,'' revised ...
s.
Higher command
Staff appointments he has undertaken include postings at the office of the Colonel - General Staff, 52nd Division; Brigadier - General Staff at Security Force Headquarters- Jaffna (SFHQ-J); and Directing Staff 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 ...
, Sapugaskanda.
From 2000 to 2004 Lieutenant Colonel Senanayake served as the
Brigade Commander
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
, Special Forces Brigade. In 2006, having attained the rank of
Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
, he was appointed Director Plans at
Army Headquarters, going on to work with the US Army as Senior Manager, Project Management of Afghan Operations and Strategic Planning for Civil Reserved Air Fleet (CRAF).
Senanyake has also held the positions of Regimental Center Commandant of the Special Forces Regiment,
Brigade Commander
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute a division.
Br ...
of the 211 Infantry Brigade: Vavuniya, and
General Officer Commanding the
52 Division in Varani, Jaffna.
Reinstatement
Following the results of the
2010 presidential elections, in which his former commandant
Sarath Fonseka
Field Marshal Gardihewa Sarath Chandralal Fonseka ( si, ගාර්දිහේවා සරත් චන්ද්රලාල් ෆොන්සේකා, ta, சரத் பொன்சேகா; born 18 December 1950), commonly know ...
failed to defeat incumbent
Mahinda Rajapakse
Mahinda Rajapaksa ( si, මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ, ta, மஹிந்த ராஜபக்ஷ; born Percy Mahendra Rajapaksa; 18 November 1945) is a Sri Lankan politician. He served as the President of Sri Lanka from 2005 to ...
, Senanayake was among Fonseka's loyalists in the military to flee the country, fearing reprisals from the Rajapakses.
He returned to Sri Lanka following
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி ...
's victory in the
2015 presidential election, was reinstated and appointed Military Secretary at Sri Lanka Army headquarters in February of that year.
In 2016, he was appointed Commander, SFHQ-J, during which tenure he was responsible for overseeing the ongoing resettlement of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from the Civil War in the Jaffna peninsula.
Commander of Sri Lanka Army
Major General
Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...
Senanayake was appointed the
Army Chief of Staff on 22 March 2017, and was then promoted to the rank of
Lieutenant General
Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a three-star military rank (NATO code OF-8) used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the ...
and
Army Commander by order of President
Maithripala Sirisena
Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி ...
on 4 July 2017.
During his tenure the army was mobilised and deployed on several occasions, in
aid of civilian authorities when a state of emergency was declared as a result of the
2018 anti-Muslim riots and the
2019 Easter bombings bring the security situation under control. On 21 August 2019, he retired from the army, having been promoted to the rank of
General
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry.
In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...
. He was succeeded as Army Commander by Major General
Shavendra Silva
General Shavendra Silva, WWV, RWP, RSP, VSV, USP ( si, ශවේන්ද්ර සිල්වා, ta, ஷவேந்திர சில்வா) is a Sri Lanka Army officer. He is the Chief of Defence Staff and former Commander o ...
, the Chief of Staff of the army.
Political career
General Senanayake started active politics after his retirement from the army. He contested for
2019 Sri Lankan presidential election
Nineteen or 19 may refer to:
* 19 (number), the natural number following 18 and preceding 20
* one of the years 19 BC, AD 19, 1919, 2019
Films
* ''19'' (film), a 2001 Japanese film
* ''Nineteen'' (film), a 1987 science fiction film
Mus ...
from National Peoples Party. He assured that he will lead professionals and intellectuals to parliamentary elections in 2020. He polled fourth after the three candidates of the three major political parties.
Honors and decorations
Senanayake has been awarded the
Rana Wickrama Padakkama
The Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP, Combat Gallantry Medal) ( Sinhala: රණ වික්රම පදක්කම) is awarded to Sri Lankan military service personnel serving in both the regular- and volunteer forces as a reward for:
Bars ...
with
bar
Bar or BAR may refer to:
Food and drink
* Bar (establishment), selling alcoholic beverages
* Candy bar
* Chocolate bar
Science and technology
* Bar (river morphology), a deposit of sediment
* Bar (tropical cyclone), a layer of cloud
* Bar (u ...
and 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 ...
with bar for gallantry and 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 ...
and 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 ...
for distinguished service.
His badges include: the
Special Forces Regiment Badge and Tab,
Sri Lanka Engineers Badge,
Special Forces Badge,
Parachute Badge,
Qualified in Command and Staff Course Badge and the Special Forces (Gold) Service Appraisal Badge.
In November 2021, he was inducted into the United States Army Command and General Staff College International Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Senanayake is married, and has two daughters and a son.
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Senanayake, Mahesh
Commanders of the Sri Lanka Army
Sri Lankan full generals
Sri Lankan military engineers
Sri Lanka Engineers officers
Special Forces Regiment officers
Sinhalese military personnel
Sri Lanka Military Academy graduates
Non-U.S. alumni of the Command and General Staff College
Jawaharlal Nehru University alumni
Alumni of Ananda College
Candidates in the 2019 Sri Lankan presidential election
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people