Overall Operational Commander

Sri Lankan military title

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Overall Operations Commander is the title held by the most senior commander in a theatre of operation at certain times in Sri Lanka.

## History[edit]

It originated as a term Officer Commanding Troops of the Ceylon Army, when a senior officer was put in charge of multiple units in a geographical area. With the escalation of the Tamil militancy in the Jaffna Peninsula, President J. R. Jayawardene dispatched Brigadier Tissa Weeratunga to Jaffna as Commander Security Forces - Jaffna, with extensive powers under the provisions of Prevention of Terrorism (Special Provisions) Act No: 48 of 1979. Brigadier Weeratunga served as Commander Security Forces - Jaffna from 13 July 1979 to 31 December 1979 undertaking counter insurgency operations to reduce militant activities. In October 1981, Brigadier J. G. Balthazar was appointed Commander Security Forces - Jaffna following an increase of militant activities.[1]

## List of Commanders[edit]

* Brigadier Tissa Weeratunga \- Commander Security Forces - Jaffna (1979)
* Brigadier J. G. Balthazar \- Commander Security Forces - Jaffna (1981-1984)
* Brigadier Nalin Seneviratne \- Commander Security Forces - Jaffna (1984-1985)
* Brigadier G. H. De Silva \- Overall Operations Commander, Operation Liberation (1987)
* Major General Denzil Kobbekaduwa \- Overall Operations Commander, Northern Sector (1990-1992)
* Major General Rohan Daluwatte \- Overall Operations Commander, North and East (1994-1995)
* Major General Janaka Perera \- Overall Operations Commander, North (2000)
* Major General Shantha Kottegoda \- Overall Operations Commander, East (2004)[2]
* Major General Sathyapriya Liyanage - Overall Operational Commander, Overall Operational Command (2019)[3]

## See also[edit]

* Operation Combine

## References[edit]

1. ^ "The Island". www.island.lk. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013.
2. ^ "MAJOR GEN KOTTEGODA APPOINTED OVERALL OPERATIONAL COMMANDER (EAST)". Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
3. ^ "Overall Operational Commander of SLA". Financial Times. Retrieved 6 September 2019.