The President's Guard was a former unit of the

Sri Lanka Army ta, இலங்கை இராணுவம் , image = File:Sri Lanka Army Logo.png , image_size = 180px , caption = Emblem of the Sri Lanka Army , start_date ...

. It was responsible for the security of 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 ...

along with the

President's Security Division President's Security Division (PSD) is a unit of the Sri Lanka Police charged with the close protection of the President of Sri Lanka. It is headed by a gazetted officer of the rank of Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG). Until 2008 the unit ...

which is the close protection agency of the President. It was made up of personnel from other regiments and units assigned for President's protection.

Formation

Since the formation of the Ceylon Army, the Army had allocated personal for the protection of the Governor General and the Prime Minister during peacetime and during emergencies. A permanent detachment of armored cars was present at Temple Trees during the 1960s and 1970s. Prior to the formation of the President's Guard, army personnel served as a squadron under the President's Security Division since 1996 and focused on key tasks including the perimeter security of Presidential residence,

Temple Trees Temple Trees is the official residence of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. It is located in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Several recent Presidents have used it as their official residence as well. History Private residence The history of ''Temple Trees ...

. The 5th Regiment Sri Lanka Armoured Corps was the first army unit chosen to provide the dedicated security for the President of Sri Lanka during the presidency of

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga ( si, චන්ද්‍රිකා බණ්ඩාරනායක කුමාරතුංග, ta, சந்திரிகா பண்டாரநாயக்க குமாரதுங்க; born 29 Ju ...

. Lieutenant Kushan Perera spearheaded the close protection team of Kumaratunga during her visit to the United States and the United Kingdom. Later the strength of the unit was increased with personnel from the

Sri Lanka Light Infantry The Sri Lanka Light Infantry (SLLI) is the oldest regiment in the Sri Lanka Army and the oldest infantry regiment in the army. It is made up of ten regular battalions and five volunteer battalions, and is headquartered at the Panagoda Cantonment, ...

, Sri Lanka

Sinha Regiment The Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment (SLSR) ( Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා සිංහ රෙජිමේන්තුව ''Śrī Laṃkā Sinha Rejimēnthuva'') is an infantry regiment of the Sri Lanka Army; it is the second oldest infantry r ...

and the

Gajaba Regiment The Gajaba Regiment (GR) is an elite infantry regiment of the Sri Lankan Army. Formed on 14 October 1983 at the Saliyapura Camp in Anuradhapura, it is named after the famous Sinhalese warrior King Gajabahu the First. It consists of 14 regular b ...

. After the unit's formation in 2008, all army personnel came under the command of this unit independent from the

which is primarily made up of and commanded by

Police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

personnel. This unit has participated in the Independence Day and victory day parades of 2009. In April 2015, President

Maithripala Sirisena Maithripala Yapa Sirisena ( si, පල්ලෙවත්‍ත ගමරාළලාගේ මෛත්‍රීපාල යාපා සිරිසේන; ta, பல்லேவத்த கமராளலாகே மைத்திரி� ...

dissolved the President's Guard.Army personnel removed from Presidential Guard
/ref>

References

External links

Sri Lanka Army

The Investiture ceremony of Insignia of the "President's Guard" is held at presidential secretariat
{{Sri Lanka Army Regiments Disbanded regiments of the Sri Lankan Army Former guards regiments Military units and formations established in 2008 Military units and formations disestablished in 2015 Protective security units