Major General (abbreviated as Maj Gen) is a senior rank in the
Sri Lanka Army
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, and was created as a direct equivalent of the
British
British may refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies.
** Britishness, the British identity and common culture
* British English, ...
military rank of
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 ...
. It is the second-highest active rank of the Sri Lanka Army while the
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 ...
is the highest (the lieutenant general is the professional head of the army), and is considered to be equivalent to a
two-star rank
An officer of two-star rank is a senior commander in many of the armed services holding a rank described by the NATO code of OF-7. The term is also used by some armed forces which are not NATO members. Typically, two-star officers hold the rank ...
. A major general commands a
division
Division or divider may refer to:
Mathematics
*Division (mathematics), the inverse of multiplication
*Division algorithm, a method for computing the result of mathematical division
Military
*Division (military), a formation typically consisting ...
or the equivalent or performs staff duties in army headquarters.
The Director of the
National Cadet Corps National Cadet Corps may refer to:
*Bangladesh National Cadet Corps
* National Cadet Corps (Ghana)
*National Cadet Corps (India)
* National Cadet Corps (Pakistan)
*National Cadet Corps (Singapore)
*National Cadet Corps (Sri Lanka)
The Nation ...
holds the rank of
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 ...
. From 1958 to 1974, the
Commander of the Army held the rank of Major General.
Major general is a higher rank than
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. I ...
, but lower than
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 ...
. The rank has a
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...
rank code of OF-7, equivalent to a
Rear admiral in the
Sri Lanka Navy
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or an
air vice-marshal
Air vice-marshal (AVM) is a two-star air officer rank which originated in and continues to be used by the Royal Air Force. The rank is also used by the air forces of many countries which have historical British influence and it is sometimes ...
in the
Sri Lanka Air Force or the air forces of many
Commonwealth countries.
History
The first Sri Lankan officer to be promoted to the rank of Major general was
Anton Muttukumaru
Major General Anton Muttukumaru, OBE, ED, ADC (6 July 1908 – 2001) was the first native Ceylonese to serve as the Commander of the Ceylon Army (now Sri Lankan Army), a post he held from 1955 to 1959. He also served as Ceylon's High Commi ...
, who was the first Sri Lankan
Commander of the Army. The rank of major general is considered a
general officer and includes all entitlements associated with it. These include an
Aide-de-camp, use of
two star designation. Most appointments of the rank of major general comes with a commandant's quarters or residence. An officer serving as a major general would be retired after three years in the substantive rank, which is the maximum permissible service in the rank, due to lack of vacancies or not been selected for further career progression.
Insignia
The rank insignia is a pip over a crossed sword and baton. The
gorget patch
Gorget patches (collar tabs, collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform ( gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank (group o ...
s of the ''Major General Officer pattern'', two gold/silver stars on scarlet background with a gold/silver button; worn on Dress No 2A, 4, 5, 5A, 6, 6A, 6B, 7 and 8. The ''General Officers Large/Medium patterns'', of gold colour braided (bullion wire) three oak leaves on scarlet background with a gold button, worn by the officers in the rank of major general and above for Dress No1, No 3 and 3A. For the officers of the
Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps
The Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps (SLMC) ( Sinhala: ශ්රී ලංකා යුද හමුදා වෛද්ය බලකාය ''Shri Lanka Yuddha Hamuda Vayidya Balakaya'') is a specialist corps in the Sri Lanka Army which speciali ...
the background will be in maroon. General officers of the rank of major-general and above carry the
Kastane sword.
The ceremonial uniform of the
Serjeant-at-arms of the
Sri Lankan Parliament would be similar to a
No. 1 Dress uniform of a major general with varied
gorget patch
Gorget patches (collar tabs, collar patches) are an insignia in the form of paired patches of cloth or metal on the collar of a uniform ( gorget), used in the military and civil service in some countries. Collar tabs sign the military rank (group o ...
s and
epaulette
Epaulette (; also spelled epaulet) is a type of ornamental shoulder piece or decoration used as insignia of rank by armed forces and other organizations. Flexible metal epaulettes (usually made from brass) are referred to as ''shoulder scales' ...
similar to a
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 countries ...
of the
Sri Lanka Navy
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, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of Sri Lanka Navy
, dates =
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.
See also
*
Sri Lanka Army ranks and insignia
*
Sri Lanka Navy rank insignia
*
Sri Lanka Air Force rank insignia
*
Sri Lanka Army
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, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
*
Military of Sri Lanka
The Sri Lanka Armed Forces is the overall unified military of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka encompassing the Sri Lanka Army, the Sri Lanka Navy, and the Sri Lanka Air Force; they are governed by the Ministry of Defence (MoD). Th ...
*
Comparative military ranks
This article is a list of various nations' armed forces ranking designations. Comparisons are made between the different systems used by nations to categorize the hierarchy of an armed force compared to another. Several of these lists mention '' ...
*
Military rank
Military ranks are a system of hierarchical relationships, within armed forces, police, intelligence agencies or other institutions organized along military lines. The military rank system defines dominance, authority, and responsibility in a ...
Notes
References
* Army, Sri Lanka. (1st Edition - October 1999). ''"50 YEARS ON" - 1949-1999'',
Sri Lanka Army
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, image_size = 180px
, caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army
, start_date ...
.
External links
Sri Lanka ArmyMinistry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaThree Service Commanders promoted : Official Government News Portal
{{Military of Sri Lanka
Military ranks of the Sri Lanka Army
major generals
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...