Sri Lanka Signals Corps
The Sri Lanka Signals Corps (SLSC) (Sinhalese: ශ්රී ලංකා සංඥා බලකාය Shri Lanka Sana Balakaya) is a combat support corps of the Sri Lanka Army,[1] responsible for providing military communications, information technology and electronic warfare support. The corps is made up of a signals brigade, ten regular regiments and one volunteer regiment. It is responsible for installing, maintaining and operating all types of telecommunications equipment and information systems. It is headquartered at the Panagoda Cantonment.
| Sri Lanka Signals Corps | |
|---|---|
| ශ්රී ලංකා සංඥා බලකාය | |
| Active | 19 October 1943 - Present |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Branch | Sri Lanka Army |
| Type | Signal corps |
| Role | Military communications Electronic warfare Information technology support Cyberwarfare |
| Size | 1 signal brigade 10 regular regiments 1 volunteer regiment |
| Regimental Headquarters | Panagoda Cantonment, Homagama |
| Nickname(s) | SLSC |
| Motto(s) | ස්ථීර ක්ෂණික Sthira Kshanika (Sinhala: Swift and Sure) |
| Colors | |
| March | Begone Dull Care |
| Anniversaries | 19 October |
| Engagements | Sri Lankan Civil War United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti Insurrection 1987-89 1971 Insurrection World War II |
| Website | army |
| Commanders | |
| Centre Commandant | Brigadier GS Fonseka USP psc |
| Regimental Sergeant Major | Warrant officer E M S C Ekanayaka |
| Colonel of the Regiment | Major General K.A.W.S. Ratnayake ndu |
| Notable commanders | Lieutenant Colonel D.V. Brohier (First Commanding Officer) Major General W.J.T.K. Fernando Major General C.J. Abayaratne Major General A.M.C.W.B. Senewiratne Major General Y.S.A. de Silva Major General T.F. Meedin RSP, Ldmc Major General K.A.W.S. Ratnayake ndu |
| Insignia | |
| Flag | |
Colonel Commandant of the SL Signals and Chief Signal Officer of the Sri Lanka Army is Major General HMLD Herath RSP USP psc. Brigadier BI Assalaratchi USP psc is Commander Signals Brigade, operationally in charge of all units and sub-units in the field.
The flag and cap badge feature Mercury, the winged messenger of the gods, who is referred to by members of the corps as "Jimmy".
History edit
Established on October 19, 1943, as a part of the Ceylon Defence Force[2] it was reformed as a troop of signals February 9, 1950 following the formation of the Ceylon Army in 1949. The initial task of this troop was to provide communications between Army HQ and its branches. In 1949, the Volunteer Signals unit was commanded by Lt Col CR De Silva. By the end of 1950 this troop had 1 Officer and 17 other ranks and their tasks included establishing a signals office at Army HQ, provision of a signal dispatch service, manning a switch board and the construction and maintenance of underground as well as field cables. In May 1951 another Signals Office was established in Diyatalawa to serve the Garrison HQ which was just formed at that time. By October 1, 1951, the troop was raised to a squadron with a strength of 4 officers and 142 other ranks.
In 1951 formal approval was granted to wear the Royal Signals badges with the additional scroll "CEYLON" on it and to adopt the Royal Signals march Begone Dull Care as the regimental march of the Ceylon Signals Corps and in 1959 the 1st Regiment of the Ceylon Signals was formed with Lt Col DV Brohier was appointed as its first Commanding Officer. In 1962 following the attempted military coup the 2nd volunteer signal regiment was disbanded and its remaining personnel transferred to form the National Service Regiment (NSR).
In 1972 with Sri Lanka proclaiming itself a republic, the Corps was renamed as the Sri Lanka Signals Corps. In 1980 a new Volunteer squadron was raised. The Corps has expanded to a level of a Signals Brigade with integral signals units under HQ Chief Signal Officer at the highest level of command in performing the classic role. The Signals Corps provides support to the combat and support arms by providing communications, electronic warfare and information technology support in the battle field and at the rear. All these signal units and sub-units administratively come under the aegis of the Regimental Centre located at Panagoda Cantonment.
Organization edit
| Unit | Established | Commanding Officer | Base |
|---|---|---|---|
| HQ Chief Signal Officer | 6 June 2022 | Major General KAWS Ratnayake ndu | Army Headquarters - Akuregoda |
| Directorate of Information Technology | 1 March 2010 | Colonel HDJP Weerathunga | Panagoda Cantonment |
| HQ Signal Brigade | 1 June 1988 | (Sri Lanka) | Panagoda Cantonment |
| Centre Commandant | 19 October 1990 | Colonel AKD Adikari USP | Panagoda Cantonment |
| 1 SLSC | 14 October 1958 | Lieutenant Colonel PAR Anthonis psc | Mullaitivu |
| 3 SLSC | 9 March 1989 | Lieutenant Colonel Lt Col ULCD Perera psc | Palaly |
| 4 SLSC | 1 April 1991 | Lieutenant colonel RDRM Fernando RSP USP psc | Anuradhapura |
| 5 SLSC | 1 March 1994 | Lieutenant Colonel SALI Jayasena psc | Padukka |
| 6 SLSC (IT) | 3 December 1996 (RFT Unit)16 June 2014 (Information Technology Unit) | Lieutenant Colonel W P D N Abeyrathne | Jaffna |
| 7 SLSC | 23 August 2022 | Maj DSL Kumarasiri | Diyatalawa |
| 9 SLSC | 21 April 2008 | Lieutenant colonel BMMB Herath RSP USP | Kilinochchi |
| 10 SLSC (CT) | 13 August 2000 (as the Signal Base workshop)24 April 2015 | Lieutenant Colonel HMBMB Herath USP | Panagoda Cantonment |
| 11 SLSC (IT) | 23 August 1990 (as the Electronic Data Processing Unit)21 September 2010 | Lieutenant Colonel AMCK Gunathilake | Panagoda Cantonment |
| 12 SLSC (CS) | 10 July 2015 | Colonel KVP Dhammika USP ptsc | Panagoda Cantonment |
| 2 (V) SLSC | 7 August 1980 (as the 1st (Volunteer) Squadron)13 April 1999 | Maj KVA Kodikara psc | Dalukana |
The corps also runs a School of Signals[3] in Kandy, established on 15 July 1991. The school is currently under the command of Col SJKD Jayawardena USP psc, with Major KVA Kodikara psc serving as chief instructor. The Sri Lanka Army established a Directorate of Information Technology under the Signal Corps on 1 March 2010; its current director is Major General P A J Peiris ndu.
Independent Signal Squadron edit
- AHQ Independent Signal Squadron
- Independent Composite Signal Squadron
- Electronic Warfare Squadron
- PA Squadron
- LED Squadron
Equipment edit
- Man-portable Surveillance and Target Acquisition Radars (MSTAR)
- TRC 274 wideband tactical jammers
Past command staff edit
Centre Commandants edit
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Colonel K.A. Gnanaweera | 1990.10.19 | 1992.10.01 |
| Colonel H.G.N. Padmasiri | 1992.10.01 | 1994.09.01 |
| Colonel M.A. Wipulaguna | 1994.09.01 | 1996.10.19 |
| Colonel K.S. Liyanage | 1997.02.05 | 1999.01.13 |
| Colonel Piyal Abeysekera | 1999.01.13 | 1999.11.11 |
| Lieutenant Colonel A.T. Banagoda | 1999.11.11 | 2001.04.06 |
| Colonel H.M.H.A. Herath | 2001.04.06 | 2002.05.08 |
| Colonel T.F. Meedin RSP Ldmc MMS MIT | 2002.05.08 | 2003.08.10 |
| Colonel S.A.P.P. Samarasinghe | 2003.08.10 | 2005.01.03 |
| Colonel R.A. Kaduwela | 2005.01.03 | 2006.02.08 |
| Colonel K.R.P. Rowel | 2006.02.08 | 2007.11.30 |
| Colonel R.A.S. Ranasinghe | 2007.12.06 | 2009.10.30 |
| Colonel M.T. Vaidyaratne | 2009.10.30 | 2010.04.24 |
| Colonel D.R. Dharmasiri | 2010.04.24 | 2010.06.10 |
| Colonel H.P. Seneviratne | 2010.06.10 | 2010.10.05 |
| Brigadier HP Seneviratne | 2010.10.05 | 2011.02.06 |
| Lieutenant Colonel L.S.P. Perera (Officiating) | 2011.02.06 | 2011.05.02 |
| Colonel D.R. Dharmasiri | 2011.05.02 | 2014. 07.25 |
| Colonel N.P. Akuranthilake | 2014.07.25 | 2017. 01.10 |
| Brigadier P.A.J. Peiris | 2017.01.10 | 2018.07.18 |
| Brigadier L.S.P Perera USP | 2018.07.18 | 2020.09.22 |
| Brigadier G.G.A. Gunasekara USP | 2020.09.23 | 2021.09.14 |
| Brigadier GS Fonseka USP psc | 2021.09.21 | 2023.01.04 |
| Brigadier BI Assalaratchi USP psc | 2023.01.04 | 2023.01.19 |
| Colonel AKD Adikari USP | 2023.01.19 | Up to date |
Colonel Commandants edit
| Name | From | To |
|---|---|---|
| Brigadier C.J. Abeyratne | 1988.07.15 | 1991.04.01 |
| Brigadier F.C.J. De Silva | 1991.04.02 | 1991.10.15 |
| Brigadier C.J. Abeyratne | 1991.10.16 | 1992.05.01 |
| Colonel K.A. Gnanaweera | 1992.05.02 | 1993.06.27 |
| Colonel H.G.N. Padmasiri | 1993.06.28 | 1993.12.01 |
| Brigadier A.M.C.W.B. Seneviratne | 1993.12.02 | 1994.05.01 |
| Colonel H.G.N. Padmasiri | 1994.05.02 | 1996.10.20 |
| Colonel M.A. Wipulaguna | 1996.10.21 | 1996.12.11 |
| Colonel W.D.N. Premasiri | 1996.12.12 | 1999.02.20 |
| Colonel Y.S.A. de Silva | 1999.02.21 | 2003.03.12 |
| Colonel Piyal Abeysekera | 2003.03.13 | 2003.08.21 |
| Brigadier Y.S.A. de Silva | 2003.08.22 | 2004.05.14 |
| Brigadier Piyal Abeysekera | 2004.07.29 | 2005.12.26 |
| Brigadier T.F. Meedin RSP Ldmc MMS MIT | 2005.12.27 | 2009.07.21 |
| Major General S A P P Samarasinghe RSP psc | 2009.07.22 | 2011.08.29 |
| Major General R A Kaduwela | 2011.08.30 | 2013.04.10 |
| Major General K R P Rowel RWP USP ndu psc | 2013.10.04 | 2017.04.11 |
| Major General B H M A Wijesinghe USP ndu psc | 2017.04.11 | 2019.04.26 |
| Major General N M Hettiarachchi USP psc Hdmc MMS | 2019.04.26 | 2020.02.24 |
| Major General D A P N Dematanpitiya ndu psc | 2020.02.26 | 2021.01.14 |
| Major General P A J Peiris ndu | 2021.01.15 | 2022.05.05 |
| Major General HMLD Herath RSP USP psc | 2022.05.06 | 2023.03.02 |
| Major General K.A.W.S. Ratnayake ndu | 2023.03.03 | 2024.01.01 |
Notable officers edit
- Lieutenant Colonel Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, RWP, RSP - President of Sri Lanka
- Lieutenant Colonel DV Brohier - First Commanding Officer, Ceylon Signals Corps
- Brigadier C. T. Caldera - second Commanding Officer, Ceylon Signals Corps
- Lieutenant Colonel Basil R. Jesudasan - former Commanding Officer, 2nd Volunteer Signals, Ceylon Signals Corps & accused conspirator in the 1962 coup d'état attempt
- Major General Piyal Abeysekera (also known as E.P. de Z. Abeysekera) USP, MSc - former Deputy Chief of Staff of Sri Lanka Army
- Major General W.J.T.K. Fernando psc - former CO, 1SLSC
- Major General C.J. Abayaratna VSV, USP - 1st Colonel Commandant, SLSC, former Signals Brigade Commander & former CO, 1SLSC
- Major General A.M.C.W.B. Senewiratne VSV, USP, psc - 4th Colonel Commandant, SLSC & former CO, 3 SLSC
- Major General Y.S.A. de Silva USP - 5th Colonel Commandant, SLSC, former Signals Brigade Commander & former CO 4 SLSC
- Major General Tuan Fadyl Meedin RSP, Ldmc - 6th Colonel Commandant, SLSC, 1st Chief Signals Officer (CSO), Chief Innovations Officer (CIO), Signals Brigade Commander, Chief Controller- Centre for Research & Development (MOD), Centre Commandant & former CO- 1 SLSC
- Major General K.A.W.S. Ratnayake ndu - 10th Chief Signal Officer - Sri Lanka Army, 16th Regimental Commander and Colonel Commandant - SLSC
Alliances edit
Order of precedence edit
Abbreviation edit
- CSO - Chief Signal Officer
- PWV[4]- Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
- WV - Weerodara Vibhushanaya
- WWV - Weera Wickrama Vibhushanaya
- RWP - Rana Wickrama Padakkama
- RSP - Rana Sura Padakkama
- VSV - Vishista Sewa Vibhushanaya
- USP -Utthama Seva Padakkama
- psc - passed staff college
- ndu - national defense university
- IT - Information Technology
- CS - Cyber Security
- CT - Communication Technology
References edit
External links edit
- Sri Lanka Army
- Sri Lanka Signals Corps