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 ...

T. N. De Silva, USP (1939 - ) is a former

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 ...

officer, who was the former General Officer Commanding, 21 Division;,

Commandant Commandant ( or ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ran ...

, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force, Brigade Commander Armoured Brigade and Director,

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 ...

.Major General T N De Silva USP

Education

Educated at Royal College, Colombo, Balasuriya joined the army in 1962 after leaving school and revived officer training at the

Indian Military Academy The Indian Military Academy (IMA) is one of the oldest military academies in India, and trains officers for the Indian Army. Located in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, it was established in 1932 following a recommendation by a military committee set up ...

. Thereafter he was commissioned in to the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment,

Ceylon Armoured Corps The Sri Lanka Armoured Corps (SLAC) provides the armour capability of the Sri Lanka Army, with vehicles such as the T-55AM2, and type 80/88 main battle tanks; the BMP infantry fighting vehicle; and the BTR-80, and WZ551 armoured personnel carri ...

in 1963 as a Second Lieutenant. He underwent training at the Royal Armoured Corps Training Centre, took the Armour Officers Advanced Course in India and attended staff college gaining the psc qualification.

Military career

After serving as a Troop Leader in the Ceylon Armoured Corps, he served as Officer Instructor, Aide-de-Camp to the Army Commander,

staff officer A military staff or general staff (also referred to as army staff, navy staff, or air staff within the individual services) is a group of officers, enlisted and civilian staff who serve the commander of a division or other large military ...

of the General Staff, Recruiting Officer and Adjutant of the Ceylon Cadet Corps. As the Commanding officer he commanded the NCOs' Training wing / Recruit Training school at the Army Training Centre in

Diyatalawa Diyatalawa (දියතලාව, meaning “the watered plain”) is a former garrison town in the central highlands of Sri Lanka, in the Badulla District of Uva Province. It is situated at an altitude of and has become a popular destina ...

and later the Sri Lanka Military Academy. After serving in the

Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna Security Forces Headquarters – Jaffna (SFHQ-J) is a regional command of the Sri Lanka Army, that is responsible for the operational deployment and command all army units stationed in and around the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province. I ...

, he became the Commandant of the Infantry Training Centre in

Minneriya Minneriya ( Sinhala: මින්නේරිය) is a small town in Sri Lanka that is famous for two things — the great Minneriya lake built by King Mahasen and Minneriya National Park which is a hot spot for safari lovers because of its abun ...

before returning to Jaffna as Deputy Commander, Security Force Headquarters, Jaffna. During the

Insurrection 1987-89 Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority. A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...

he served as Military Coordinator of the Gampaha District. Becoming the Director of Armour, he became 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. ...

of the Independent Armoured Brigade and later the 21 Brigade and the 33 Brigade. Thereafter he was appointed Director of Personnel Administration at the Army Headquarters, then the commandant, Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Forces and general Officer Commanding, 21 Division. He was the Regimental Commander, Sri Lanka Armoured Corps and later the Director,

. General De Silva is a graduate of the Command and Staff College. He was awarded the

Uttama Seva Padakkama The Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP, Eminent Service Medal) ( Sinhala: උත්තම සේවා පදක්කම ''uṭṭama sēvā padakkama'') is presented to all ranks of the regular forces of the Sri Lankan military for: Award process Th ...

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

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 ...

, the

Purna Bhumi Padakkama The Purna Bhumi Padakkama ( Sinhala: පූර්ණ භූමි පදක්කම ''pūrna bhūmi padakkama'') was a service medal awarded by the Military of Sri Lanka (regular and volunteer) and Sri Lanka Police to all ranks of its forces in ...

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:De Silva, T. N. Sri Lankan major generals Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of Royal College, Colombo Living people Sinhalese military personnel Sri Lanka Armoured Corps officers Directors of the National Cadet Corps