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 ...

(Rtd) Prasanna Chandrasekera, ( si, ප්‍රසන්න චන්ද්‍රසේකර) is a retired senior

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. He was the former

Master-General of the Ordnance The Master-General of the Ordnance (MGO) was a very senior British military position from 1415 to 2013 (except 1855–1895 and 1939–1958) with some changes to the name, usually held by a serving general. The Master-General of the Ordnance was ...

of the

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 ...

, During the Sri Lankan civil war he was 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 ...

, 65 Division of the Kilinochchi District.

Early life and education

C. M. D. P. Chandrasekera (Prasanna) was born on 10 September 1965 in

Kadugannawa Kadugannawa is a town in Kandy District in the Central Province, Sri Lanka, Central Province of Sri Lanka, governed by an Urban Council. It is located along the A1 road west of Peradeniya. The town is served by Kadugannawa Railway Station and ha ...

( Central Province,

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 ...

). He studied at

Dharmaraja College Dharmaraja College ( si, ධර්මරාජ විද්‍යාලය), founded in 1887, is a boys' school in Kandy, Sri Lanka. It is a Buddhist school with around 300+ teaching staff and around 5000+ students. The school has many notable ...

Kandy Kandy ( si, මහනුවර ''Mahanuwara'', ; ta, கண்டி Kandy, ) is a major city in Sri Lanka located in the Central Province. It was the last capital of the ancient kings' era of Sri Lanka. The city lies in the midst of hills ...

from the year 1970 to 1984 where he took part in both academics and sports.

Military career

Gen shavendra silva nd maj gen Prasanna walking in stylish manner

He enlisted into the Sri Lanka Army Regular Force on 1 November 1985 at

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 ...

, Diyathalawa and Officers' Training School in

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. Later, he 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 ...

and posted to

Sri Lanka Signals Corps The Sri Lanka Signals Corps (SLSC) (Sinhalese: ශ්‍රී ලංකා සංඥා බලකාය ''Shri Lanka Sana Balakaya'') is a combat support corps of the Sri Lanka Army, responsible for providing military communications, informatio ...

on 24 July 1986. Later as a senior army officer, he was the

Director General A director general or director-general (plural: ''directors general'', ''directors-general'', ''director generals'' or ''director-generals'' ) or general director is a senior executive (government), executive officer, often the chief executive offi ...

Real Estate Real estate is property consisting of land and the buildings on it, along with its natural resources such as crops, minerals or water; immovable property of this nature; an interest vested in this (also) an item of real property, (more general ...

and Quartering of the Sri Lanka Army from 2017 to 2019 and was responsible for acquisition and renting of lands and buildings to the Sri Lanka Army forces. Finally he served as the

in his office at the Army Headquarters from December 2019 to September 2020. In addition, he was the

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

of the Regiment of

Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps The Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps (SLAWC) is a List of Sri Lanka Army regiments and corps, Sri Lanka Army corps. The headquarters of this corps is in Borella, Colombo and the corps has six battalions. The first battalion was raised in 1 September 19 ...

from February 2020 to September 2020 and Chairman of the Army Aquatic and

Water Polo Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...

Committee.

Appointments held at the military level

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 ...

• Master General Ordnance - 9 December 2019 to 9 September 2020.
• Quarter Master General- 12 November 2019 to 8 December 2019.
• Director General Real Estate and Quartering- 7 January 2019 to 12 November 2019.
• Colonel of the Regiment, Sri Lanka Army Women Corps - February 2020 to September 2020.
• Chairman of the Army Swimming and Water Polo Committee - 9 December 2019 to September 2020.
• Commanding Officer, Station Officers' Mess - Army Headquarters - 9 December 2019 to September 2020.

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 ...

• Director Real Estate and Quartering- Army Headquarters - September 2017 to January 2019.
• Public Relations Officer - to the Secretary of the Ministry of Defense - March 2015 to September 2016.
• Director of Veteran Affairs -Army Headquarters - February 2015 to March 2015.
• Brigadier General Staff - Security Force Headquarters (Kilinochchi) - March 2014 to February 2015.
• Brigade Commander - 651 Infantry Brigade (Kilinochchi) - March 2013 to March 2014.

• Brigade Commander- 651 Brigade- July 2011 to February 2013.
• Colonel Coordinator- Headquarters, Chief Signal Officer- December 2010 to July 2011.
• Colonel General Staff- 23 Infantry Division, Walikanda - April 2009 to December 2010.

Lieutenant Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

• Communication Advisor (Technical) - Ministry of Defense, Colombo - May 2007 to April 2009.
• Staff Officer I - Signal Brigade, Panagoda - January 2006 to March 2007.

Major 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 ...

• Commanding Officer - 3rd Regiment Sri Lanka Signal Corps, Anuradhapura - September 2003 to January 2006.
• Second in Command - 3n1 Regiment Sri Lanka Signal Corps, Anuradhapura - April 2000 to July 2002.
• Commandant - School of Signals, Kandy- July 2002 to June 2003.
• General Staff Officer II (Operation & Training) - 54 Division, Elephant Pass - May 1995 to April 1998.
• General Staff Officer II (Administration) - 21 Division, Anuradhapura - February 1995 to April 1995.

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations. The meaning of lieutenant differs in different militaries (see comparative military ranks), but it is often sub ...

• Adjutant - 3rc1 Regiment Sri Lanka Signal Corps, Anuradhapura - December 1993 to February 1995.
• General staff Officer Ill (Operation) - Army Headquarters, Colombo - June 1991 to December 1993.
• Officer Commanding - Army Electronic Warfare Squadron - April 1991 to June 1991.
• Signal Officer - Security Force Headquarters, Vavuniya - May 1990 to April 1991.
• Signal Officer - 21 Brigade, Vavuniya -August 1989 to May 1990.
• Signal Officer - Security Force Headquarters, West - May 1988 - November 1988.

Other military achievements

Chandrasekera is an alumnus of

PLA National Defence University The People's Liberation Army National Defence University () is a Beijing-based national military university administered by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and funded by the Central Military Commission. The university is the highest militar ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, and had obtained the post-graduation - Master of

Military Science Military science is the study of military processes, institutions, and behavior, along with the study of warfare, and the theory and application of organized coercive force. It is mainly focused on theory, method, and practice of producing mil ...

and Strategic Studies MSc(MS&S) along with the title of ndu. apart from that, he had privilege to conduct with the following as well.
• PRC 1077/1099 Tactical Radio Repair and Maintenance Course,

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

- 1998.
• Multinational Peacekeeping Operation Exercise, Wheeler Army Air Field,

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

.
• Multinational Communication Interoperability Program (MCIP),

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and

.
• Signals Mid-Career Course, Military Collage of Signal,

- 2003.
• Senior Command Course, Military College of War,

Mhow Mhow, officially Dr. Ambedkar Nagar, is a town in the Indore district in Madhya Pradesh state of India. It is located south-west of Indore city, towards Mumbai on the old Mumbai-Agra Road. The town was renamed as ''Dr. Ambedkar Nagar'' in 20 ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

) - 2011.
• Signal Young Officers' Course, Military Collage of Telecommunication and Engineering,

- 1989.
• Battalion Commanders Course, Army Training School (Sri Lanka), MaduruOya.

Medals, awards and decorations

Chandrasekera received few awards in the Sri Lankan armed forces, which includes 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 ...

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 ...

Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal The Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal ( Sinhala: සන්නද්ධ සේවා දීර්ඝ සේවා පදක්කම ''ārakśaka sēvā dhīrgha sēvā padakkama'') was a service medal of Ceylon from 1968 to 1972. It was g ...

North_and_East_Operations_Medal_ribbon_bar

Vadamarachchi_Operation_Medal_ribbon_bar

Riviresa_Campaign_Services_Medal_ribbon_bar

Northern_Humanitarian_Operations_Medal_ribbon_bar

Eastern_Humanitarian_Operations_Medal_ribbon_bar

50th_Independence_Anniversary_Commemoration_Medal

Sri_Lanka_Army_50th_Anniversary_Medal_ribbon_bar

Sri_Lanka_Armed_Services_Long_Service_Medal_ribbon_bar

Retirement and current employment

Prasanna Chandrasekera has completed 34 plus years of service in the Sri Lanka Army and retired on 9 September 2020. During his tour of duty, he had participated most of military operations conducted against terrorism in Sri Lanka, upholding different responsibilities in various command, staff and instructional appointments with his ranks held that blends with his wide experience in the field. He is currently working as the

private secretary A private secretary (PS) is a civil servant in a governmental department or ministry, responsible to a secretary of state or minister; or a public servant in a royal household, responsible to a member of the royal family. The role exists in t ...

to Seetha Arambepola at the ministry of skills development and vocational training, research & innovations (MoSTR).

Family

Chandrasekera is married to Praveena Bandara Chandrasekera, who was the 18th Chairperson of Seva Vanitha Unit at the

. They have one daughter and a son.