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 ...

M.C. Mendaka. P. Samarasinghe, RWP, RSP, USP, ndc, psc,

SLE Lupus, technically known as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), is an autoimmune disease in which the body's immune system mistakenly attacks healthy tissue in many parts of the body. Symptoms vary among people and may be mild to severe. Commo ...

(April 1, 1958) was a Sri Lankan

general A general officer is an officer of high rank in the armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colonel."general, adj. and n.". O ...

and former Chief of Staff, Sri Lanka Army and also the former Commander Security Forces Headquarters - Jaffna; he was also the General Officer Commanding, 22 Division. Samarasinghe was educated at

S. Thomas' College, Mt. Lavinia , motto_translation = Be Thou Forever , song = Thomian Song , athletics = Yes , sports = Yes , nickname = Thora , denomination = Anglican , patron ...

, where he captained the College Boxing Team, led the Junior and Senior Cadet Platoons as the Sergeant, played 2 XV Rugby and was also a college prefect. Smarasinghe joined the army in July 1978 after leaving school and was commissioned into the 1st Field Engineer Regiment,

Sri Lanka Engineers The Sri Lanka Engineers (SLE) is a combat support arm of the Sri Lanka Army which provides military engineering. It is made up of ten regular regiments and one volunteer regiment. Headquartered at Panagoda Cantonment, it is headed by the Centre ...

in 1980 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 1 ...

after winning the Sword of Honour for the Best All Round Cadet in his batch. He has several important command and staff appointments such as Overall Operations Commander (Western Province & Colombo), General Officer Commanding 22 Division, Director General General Staff - Army Headquarters, Deputy General Officer Commanding 53 Infantry Division,

Brigade Commander A brigade is a major tactical military unit, 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 ...

- Engineer Brigade, Brigade Commander - 561 Infantry Brigade, Brigade Commander - 552 Infantry Brigade, Commandant -

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 Diyatalaw ...

. He has also served as General Staff Officer 1(Plans)-Army Headquarters, Colonel General Staff-55 Infantry Division, Chief Instructor-Army Command and Staff College, Brigadier General Staff - Security Forces HQ (East). He holds a Master of Science Degree in Defence Studies and a Master of Philosophy in Defence & Strategic Studies from the

University of Madras The University of Madras (informally known as Madras University) is a public state university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and among the most prestigious universities in India, incorporated by an a ...

. He has undergone training at College of Military Engineering, India; School of Military Engineering, Malaysia; Defence Services Command and Staff College, India; Engineer School, Fort Leonard Wood, USA; College of Combat, India;

Royal Military College of Science The Royal Military College of Science (RMCS) was a British postgraduate school, research institution and training provider with origins dating back to 1772. It became part of the Defence Academy of the United Kingdom in 2009, and ceased to exist ...

, UK; Asia Pacific Centre for Security Studies, Hawaii, USA; and the National Defence College, India. Major General Samarasinghe has received 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 ...

(RWP),

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 individua ...

(RSP),

Uttama Seva Padakkama The Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP, Eminent Service Medal) (Sinhala language, Sinhala: උත්තම සේවා පදක්කම ''uṭṭama sēvā padakkama'') is presented to all ranks of the regular forces of the Military of Sri Lanka, Sri ...

(USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, 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 ...

, the Purna Bhumi Padakkama and 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 ...

References

External links

New Chief of Staff Major General Samarasinghe Takes Office
{{DEFAULTSORT:Samarasinghe, Mendaka Sri Lankan major generals Sri Lankan military engineers Living people Alumni of S. Thomas' College, Mount Lavinia Sri Lanka Military Academy graduates Sinhalese military personnel Year of birth missing (living people) Sri Lanka Engineers officers