Jayantha Perera

Admiral (retired) Jayantha Perera RWP, VSV, USP, ndu, psc was the 19th Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy.

Admiral Jayantha Perera
Perera (left)
Born	July 11, 1957[1]
Allegiance	Sri Lanka
Service/branch	Sri Lanka Navy
Years of service	1978 - 2015
Rank	Admiral
Service number	NRX 0140[1]
Commands held	Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy Chief of Staff Western Naval Command Southern Naval Command
Awards	Rana Wickrama Padakkama Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya Uttama Seva Padakkama
Other work	Presidential Advisor on Maritime Affairs[2]

Education and career

Educated at Thurstan College, Colombo, Perera enlisted in the Sri Lanka Navy on 23 August 1978.[3][4] Completing basic training at the Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee in 1979, he went on to specialize in gunnery at INS Dronacharya in Kochi, India.[3] In 1996, he completed an MSc in Defense Studies at the University of Madras, and would earn another MSc in Defense & Strategic Studies at the National Defence University in Islamabad.[3]

Perera commanded the SLN flagship SLNS Sayura in the 2000-2003 period and was the Flag officer commanding the naval fleet from 2006 to 2007 based at Trincomalee, simultaneously serving as Deputy Area Commander for the Eastern Command.[3][5] Other staff appointments he has held at various times include:

• Director Naval Operations and Naval Special Forces
• Director Naval Weapons
• Deputy Director of Naval Intelligence
• Deputy Director of Naval Training
• Media Spokesman for the SLN
• Principal Staff Officer to the Chief of Defence Staff

He has held, in order, the SLN's Southern and Western Commands in the 2007-2009 period, and following a brief three-month stint as the navy's Director General- Services, was appointed Director General- Operations- a position he occupied until July 2013, when he was appointed Chief of Staff of the SLN.[3][4][5] He was awarded the Rana Wickrama Padakkama the same year[6]

He was appointed Commander of the Navy on 1 July 2014, and was promoted to the rank of admiral on his retirement from duty on 9 July 2015.[3][7][8][9]

References

1. "Travis Sinniah to have shortest tenure?". srilankamirror.com. Sri Lanka Mirror. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
2. "Admiral Jayantha Perera appointed Advisor to President". Dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
3. "Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera 19th Navy Commander on July 1". Sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
4. "Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera Appointed Navy Chief of Staff". Highbeam.com. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
5. "Rear Admiral Jayantha Perera appointed Navy Chief of Staff". Dailynews.lk. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
6. "Sri Lanka: Naval Personnel Awarded Gallantry Medals". Navaltoday.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
7. "19th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy appointed". Navaltoday.com. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
8. "Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Jayantha Perera promoted to the rank of Admiral". Defence.lk. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
9. "Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne assumes duties as the 20th Commander of the Navy". Defence.lk. Retrieved 25 July 2017.