The Sri Lanka Air Force commissioned 43 new officers at its academy in China Bay, Trincomalee, on Friday morning, in a ceremony that combined the commissioning parade with the award of a flying brevet.
The group comprised 29 officer cadets and 14 lady officer cadets, the Air Force said in its own account of the parade. Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Air Vice Marshal Sampath Thuyacontha (Retd) attended as chief guest, received on arrival by Air Force Commander Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, the Colombo Gazette reported.
The parade was commanded by Group Captain Chamil Hettiarachchi.
Six intakes in one ceremony
The new officers did not come from a single course. They represent the 65th, 67th and 69th SLAF officer cadet intakes and the 21st lady officer cadet intake, alongside cadets from the 37th, 39th and 40th intakes of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University — six separate training streams brought together for one commissioning.
A flying officer from the 39th KDU intake, Flying Officer PV Binadith, received his flying brevet, or wings, during the proceedings. That single award is what distinguishes this from a routine passing-out parade.
Other awards went to Pilot Officer RMHK Rathnayake (Sword of the Eagle, best officer cadet of the general duties pilot branch) and Pilot Officer HGWD Jayarathna, who took both the Sword of Honour for best all-round officer cadet and the award for the administrative branch. Branch awards were also presented for operations air, aeronautical engineering, information technology engineering, regiment and logistics.
What the Defence Secretary told them
Thuyacontha’s address turned on the obligations attaching to a commission rather than on its privileges. He said a commission carried responsibilities and represented the trust placed in those entering the officer corps, and called for integrity and moral courage in the discharge of their duties, urging the new officers to uphold the Constitution, the rule of law and professional conduct.
He drew a contrast with his own start: he recalled receiving his commission in a simple setting during wartime, against the formal parade attended by the new officers’ families. He also pressed the group on continued learning and the ability to adapt to technological change as national security requirements evolve, and noted the Air Force’s role in responding to disasters alongside its other duties.
The ceremony included a drill display by the Air Force ceremonial band and colour wing, a parachute display by SLAF paratroopers, a formation flypast and an aerobatic display by the No. 1 Flying Training Wing.
Two small divergences in the accounts
The Air Force names the academy commandant as Air Vice Marshal Amal Perera; the Colombo Gazette gives the same post to Air Vice Marshal WPAH Perera. These are initials and given name for one officer, not two people.
The two accounts also differ on who was in the stands. The Air Force release lists Chief of Staff Air Vice Marshal Lasitha Sumanaweera, the Air Force Board of Management, and officers of the Army, Navy and Police. The Colombo Gazette additionally reports former Air Force commanders and diplomatic representatives attending; the Air Force’s own account mentions neither.
Not reported
Neither account gives the total strength of the intakes from which these 43 were drawn, nor how long each stream trained. Ada Derana, which would ordinarily carry a defence ceremony of this kind, has been unreachable from this desk for thirty consecutive days, and no other verified Sri Lankan newsroom had filed on the parade at the time of writing. This article therefore rests on one verified newsroom and the Air Force’s own release.
