Ravindra Wijegunaratne



Admiral Ravindra Chandrasiri Wijegunaratne, WV, RWP and Bar, RSP, VSV, USP, NI(M), ndc, psn,  is a retired Sri Lankan admiral, and former Chief of Defence Staff of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces. He has also served as the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy, Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy, the Director General of the Sri Lanka Coast Guard and held, at various times, four of the seven Naval Commands of the SLN. Wijegunaratne has also served as Director Naval Operations, and is a recipient of the Weerodara Vibhushanaya.

Education
Born in 1962, Wijegunaratne was educated at the Royal College, Colombo from 1969. At Royal College, he was a President's Scout, Lance sergeant of the Herman Loos Cadet Platoon and a School Prefect in addition to representing the school in both hockey and basketball, as well as being an All-Island Junior Athletics Champion. He was the fourth Royalist to be appointed Commander of the SLN.

Graduating in the same year, he enlisted in the Sri Lanka Navy on 1 November 1980 as an officer cadet as part of the 9th Intake at the Naval and Maritime Academy, Trincomalee. He completed officer training as a Midshipman at both Trincomalee and Dartmouth (where he was awarded 'Best International Midshipman, 1982') in 1982. He would go on to follow a Sub-lieutenant technical course and specialize in anti-submarine warfare in India, and followed a staff course at the Pakistan Navy War College. In 1996 he gained a BSc in War Studies from the University of Karachi, and later graduated from the National Defense University (NESA) and National Defence College, India (50th NDC Course - 2010). In 2010, he obtained an MPhil in Defence and Strategic Studies at the University of Madras. He is a Member of the Nautical Institute.

Naval career
Starting out as a Sub-lieutenant, Admiral Wijegunaratne gained early exposure to the Sri Lankan Civil War fighting alongside India's MARCOS in the Indian Peace Keeping Force's 1987 Operation Pawan. Having been promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Commander, he founded Sri Lanka's elite Special Boat Squadron (SBS) in 1993, building on the work done by Lieutenant commander Shanthi Bahar. Wijegunaratne led the SBS during the Battle of Pooneryn and held its command twice through his career, once in 1993-1994 and again in 1999-2000. As a result of his specialization and work in the SBS, he is regarded as an expert in asymmetric naval warfare and small boat operations. Between June 2005 and March 2006, he served as Commanding Officer of the SLN's flagship at that time, SLNS Sayura. He was also instrumental in forming the Sri Lanka Navy Marines.

Promoted to the rank of Commodore, and then to Rear Admiral in 2009, Wijegunaratne has held several appointments and commands within the Sri Lanka Navy: As Director Naval Operations in 2007, he oversaw the SLN's efforts to halt Sea Tiger arms smuggling, leading to the elimination of what are thought to be the LTTE's four final floating armouries.
 * Director Naval Operations
 * Director Naval Weapon Systems
 * Director Special Forces
 * Director Maritime Surveillance
 * Commandant of the Naval and Maritime Academy
 * Flag officer Commanding Naval Fleet
 * Director General Services
 * Commander, Eastern Naval Command
 * Commander, Northern Naval Command
 * Commander, Western Naval Command
 * Commander, Southern Naval Command

He was appointed the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy on 7 July 2014, and promoted to Vice Admiral and appointed Commander of the Navy on 11 July 2015. On 22 February 2016, President Maithripala Sirisena granted him a six-month service extension as commander.

On 18 August 2017, Wijegunaratne was promoted to the rank of admiral and appointed Chief of Defense Staff in light of his upcoming retirement from active service. He assumed duties as CDS on 22 August 2017.

Wijegunaratne has also held a diplomatic post as First Secretary and Defense Attaché at the Sri Lankan High Commission in New Delhi between 2001 and 2005. He has been a guest lecturer at the Center for Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups, US Naval War College and the Pakistan Navy War College.

Later work
Admiral Wijegunaratne appointed as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Pakistan by President Ranil Wickremesinghe in October 2023.

Honors
His decorations include Weerodara Vibhushanaya, Rana Wickrama Padakkama twice, Rana Sura Padakkama for gallantry; Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya and Uttama Seva Padakkama for meritorious service, and the Surface Warfare Badge.

On 13 February 2019, Admiral Wijegunaratne was awarded the Nishan-e-Imtiaz (Military) Medal by the President of Pakistan in Islamabad.

Personal life
Wijegunaratne is married to Yamuna De Saram and has one son, Satyajith. He has been a keen sportsman since his childhood, and is a qualified diver and parachutist; a parachuting accident in 2001 led to Wijegunaratne breaking both legs. In addition to playing hockey and basketball at school, he has represented the SLN in rugby, and rowing/sailing, both of which he has received Sri Lanka Navy Colours for. He is an expert marksman, and has held the Chair of the Sri Lanka Rifle Association and the Sri Lanka Navy Golf Club.

Controversy
Wijegunaratne was alleged to have threatened and assaulted a journalist during an SLN intervention during a violent dockworkers' strike at the Hambantota Port in December 2016