Sri Lanka Army ranks and insignia

The following tables present the ranks and insignia of the Sri Lanka Army. The ranks are similar to the British army officer ranks and the other ranks.

At its formation in 1949, the Ceylon Army adopted the rank structures of the British Army.

The highest rank in the Sri Lanka Army is Field Marshal, though the rank has no appointment in the army, it was first awarded in 2015 as an honorary rank to Sarath Fonseka for his war time service, the rank has been awarded for his whole life.^[1]

The highest rank of a serving officer is that of Lieutenant General (three-star rank) which is held by the Commander of the Army. The rank of full general (four-star rank) is given to the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), it is also awarded to the Commander of the Army on the day of his retirement (if the CDS is not appointed from the army). Commanders of the Army since the late 1980s have held the rank of lieutenant general with the exception of Sarath Fonseka^[2] and Shavendra Silva who were promoted to full generals while serving as commander of the army, on the other hand, Shavendra Silva got the duty of the Chief of Defence Staff simultaneously holding the appointment of commander of the army.^[3]

Officers

Rank group	General / flag officers					Senior officers			Junior officers			Officer cadet
Sri Lanka Army^[4] v t e
Sri Lanka Army^[4] v t e	Field marshal	General	Lieutenant general	Major general	Brigadier	Colonel	Lieutenant colonel	Major	Captain	Lieutenant	Second lieutenant	Officer cadet

Other Ranks

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Sri Lanka Army^[4]^[5] v t e																													No insignia
Sri Lanka Army^[4]^[5] v t e	Warrant officer class I						Warrant officer class II		Staff sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal/ Bombardier				Lance corporal/ Lance bombardier		Private (or equivalent)

Retired officer's rank

An officer of or above rank of captain when retired from service, may retain his/her rank and indicate that he/she is a retired officer with the use of the abbreviation (Rtd) immediately after his/her name.^[6]

References

^ "General Sarath Fonseka promoted Field Marshal". ft.lk. 20 March 2015.
^ "Three Service Commanders promoted". The Government of Sri Lanka. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
^ Lahiru Pothmulla (28 December 2020). "Shavendra Silva promoted to the rank of General". themorning.lk.
^ a b "Dress Regulation PDF - Part I" (PDF). army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. January 2019. pp. 10-4–10-11. Retrieved 20 May 2021.
^ "Other Ranks". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
^ "Download Officers Service Regulation PDF". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 28 May 2021.

Bibliography

Army, Sri Lanka. (1st Edition - October 1999). "50 YEARS ON" - 1949–1999, Sri Lanka Army. ISBN 955-8089-02-8

External links

Sri Lanka Army
Ministry of Defence, Public Security, Law & Order - Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

[1] "General Sarath Fonseka promoted Field Marshal". ft.lk. 20 March 2015.

[2] "Three Service Commanders promoted". The Government of Sri Lanka. 19 May 2009. Archived from the original on 26 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2018.

[3] Lahiru Pothmulla (28 December 2020). "Shavendra Silva promoted to the rank of General". themorning.lk.

[SriLanka_Army-4] "Dress Regulation PDF - Part I" (PDF). army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. January 2019. pp. 10-4–10-11. Retrieved 20 May 2021.

[5] "Other Ranks". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 24 September 2021.

[6] "Download Officers Service Regulation PDF". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 28 May 2021.