Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force is the highest rank in the Sri Lanka Air Force. Marshal of the Air Force is ranked immediately above Air Chief Marshal, and has been awarded only once, to Roshan Goonetileke as an honorary rank. It is equival ...

W. D. M. J. Roshan Goonetileke, RWP and bar, VSV, USP, PhD (Hon), FIM (SL), ndc, psc is a senior officer of the

Sri Lanka Air Force The Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) ( si, ශ්‍රි ලංකා ගුවන් හමුදාව, Śrī Laṃkā guwan hamudāva; ta, இலங்கை விமானப்படை, Ilaṅkai vimāṉappaṭai) is the air arm and the yo ...

. The current

Governor of the Western Province A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political_regions, political region, ranking under the Head of State, head of state and in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of ...

, Goonetileke had served as the Chief of the Defence Staff and Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force. He was the 12th Commander of the

(SLAF) and is the eldest son of the 5th Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force,

Air Chief Marshal Air chief marshal (Air Chf Mshl or ACM) is a high-ranking air officer originating from the Royal Air Force. The rank is used by air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. An air chief marshal is equivalent to an Admir ...

Harry Goonatilake Air Chief Marshal W.D. Harry Goonetileke USP, ndc, psc, SLAF (November 27, 1929 – April 11, 2008) was the fifth Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force from November 1, 1976 to April 30, 1981. Early life Born 27 November 1929, as the only so ...

and the elder brother of

Group Captain Group captain is a senior commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force, where it originated, as well as the air forces of many countries that have historical British influence. It is sometimes used as the English translation of an equivalent rank i ...

Shirantha Goonatilake Air Commodore Shirantha Goonetileke RWP, RSP, SLAF (? - 29 April 1995 ) was a Sri Lankan aviator and the most senior Air Force officer to be killed in action. He was the youngest son of Air Chief Marshal Harry Goonatilake the 5th Commander of ...

, who was killed in action in 1995. He was the second serving service Commander to be appointed as Chief of Defence Staff whilst holding the office. Goonetileke is the most decorated officer in the history of the Sri Lanka Air Force and is held in high esteem for the role he played in ending the almost three decade long civil war that tore down the country's economy and claimed thousands of lives. As a result, he was bestowed upon with the honorary rank of

in 2019, the first Sri Lankan to receive this honour.

Early life

Born on 28 February 1956, to

and Marian Perera, he had a younger brother and two sisters. Goonatilake completed his education at

St Peter's College, Colombo St. Peter's College ( Sinhala: සාන්ත පීතර විදුහල, Tamil: செயிண்ட் பீட்டர் கல்லூரி) is a Roman Catholic boys-only primary to secondary (inclusive) school in the Bambalapitiya ...

, where he excelled in both studies and sports.

Air Force career

He followed his father by joining the Sri Lanka Air Force as an Officer Cadet in the General Duties Pilot Branch on 13 January 1978. On successful completion of flying training, he was commissioned in the rank of Pilot Officer on 24 August 1979. Having logged many flying hours both in fixed and rotary wing aircraft serving as an operational pilot, he served as the Commanding Officer of No. 03 Maritime Squadron and No. 04 Helicopter Wing. He functioned as the Zonal Commander in both Northern and Eastern Zones, and commanded Air Force Bases Katunayake, Anuradhapura and China Bay. Goonetileke graduated from the

Air Command and Staff College The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama and is the United States Air Force's intermediate-level Professional Military Education (PME) school. It is a subordinate command of the Air Uni ...

, Air University in 1994 and attended National Defence College in Pakistan in 2001. He functioned as Director Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Chief of Staff, prior to being appointed the Commander of the Air Force on 12 July 2007. On 18 May 2009, he was promoted Air Chief Marshal, becoming the first ever serving Officer of the Sri Lanka Air Force to be promoted to four star rank. He was admitted to the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy (

Honoris Causa An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

) by the

University of Kelaniya Pannaya Parisujjhati , mottoeng = Self-purification is by insight , established = 1875 Vidyalankara Pirivena1959 Vidyalankara University , type = Public , endowment = , adminis ...

on 20 November 2009, in recognition of his professional achievements as the Commander of the Air Force. He is also a Honoury Fellow of the Institute of Management in Sri Lanka.

Chief of Defence Staff

He was appointed as Acting Chief of Defence Staff on 16 November 2009 and was confirmed as Chief of Defence Staff on 28 February 2012 upon relinquishing Command of the Sri Lanka Air Force. He was appointed Chairman Board of Management of Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAA of SL) with effect from 5 October 2009 until relinquishing duties on 28 December 2011. He was also appointed as Chairman of Waters Edge Ltd, a government-owned, multi-facility recreational and hospitality complex.

Personal life

Goonetileke is married to Mrs. Nelun Goonetileke. They have a son and a daughter, Rehan and Ronali. Rehan, followed the family tradition becoming a Helicopter Pilot. An avid sportsman, Goonetileke was heavily involved in the development of Sri Lanka Rugby, as the President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union, serving two successful terms from 1 June 2010 to 11 January 2012.

Governor of the Western Province

He was appointed

by President

Gotabaya Rajapaksa Lieutenant Colonel Nandasena Gotabaya Rajapaksa ( si, නන්දසේන ගෝඨාභය රාජපක්ෂ; ta, நந்தசேன கோட்டாபய ராஜபக்ஷ; born 20 June 1949) is a former Sri Lankan militar ...

on 24 March 2020 succeeding Seetha Arambepola who resigned from the post of Governor to accept a national list appointment.

References

External links

Official Website of Sri Lanka Air Force
{{DEFAULTSORT:Goonetileke, Roshan 1956 births Air Command and Staff College alumni Alumni of St. Peter's College, Colombo Commanders of the Sri Lanka Air Force Living people Marshals of the Sri Lanka Air Force Sinhalese military personnel Sri Lanka Air Force Academy graduates Sri Lankan Air Chief Marshals Sri Lankan aviators