Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force
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Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force | |
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ශ්රී ලංකා යුද්ධ හමුදා ස්වේච්ඡා බළසේනාව இலங்கை இராணுவ தொண்டர் படையணி | |
Reserve force | |
Size | 55,000 + |
Volunteer Force HQ | Salawa, Kosgama |
Colors | |
Website | alt |
Commanders | |
Commandant of the Volunteer Force | Major General MK Jayawardena |
Deputy Commandant | Maj Gen M T K R Silva KSP |
Principal Staff Officer | Brig P N Godellawatta USP psc |
The Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force (SLAVF) is the
All regiments and corps of the army have volunteer battalions/regiments attached with the exception of the Commando Regiment, Special Forces Regiment, and the Sri Lanka Corps of Military Police which only consists of regular units, while the Sri Lanka Rifle Corps, the Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps, and the Sri Lanka National Guard consists only of volunteer units.
The SLAVF traces its origins to the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers which was formed in 1881 as a
History
The SLAVF was founded in 1861 when the Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers were created.
Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers
The second phase in the employment of non-British military personnel commenced in 1861 after an ordinance authorized the creation of Volunteer Corps. This move addressed the disbanding of the Ceylon Rifle Regiment in 1874. The Ceylon Light Infantry Volunteers was originally administered as a single unit. However over the years various sections of the volunteers grew large enough to become independent. The different units that emerged from the Volunteer Force were:
- Ceylon Artillery Volunteers
- Ceylon Mounted Infantry(CMI)
- Ceylon Planters Rifle Corps(CPRC)
- Ceylon Volunteer Medical Corps
- Cadet Battalion Ceylon Light Infantry
- Ceylon Engineers
- Ceylon Supply & Transport Corps
Ceylon Defence Force
In 1910 the name of the military was changed to the
During the
In 1939, the CDF was mobilized and an enormous expansion took place that required raising new units such as the Post and Telegraph Signals, the Ceylon Railway Engineer Corps, the Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineer Corps, the Auxiliary Territorial Service, the Ceylon Corps of Military Police, the Ceylon Signals Corps and the Colombo Town Guard Unit, which had been previously disbanded, but was re-formed to meet military requirements. During the Second World War Britain assumed direct control over the Armed Forces of Ceylon.[2]
Ceylon Volunteer Force
Following the formation of the Army in 1949, the CDF became the nucleus of the
1962 attempted military coup
In 1962, senior officers CVF were implicated in a failed
Counter-insurgency operations
In 1971, there was a general mobilization with the start of the
Cadet Corps
Since the formation of the first cadet platoon with students of the
Vision
The Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force is to be a versatile and efficient organization through training while being a reliable outfit and ready to assist and support the Regular Force during any eventuality locally or internationally
Units
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The SLAVF consists of about 50,000 volunteer combat officers and other ranks attached to various units and regiments of the Sri Lanka Army.
- 7th (v) Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
- 5th (v) Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment
- 12th (v) Sri Lanka Artillery Regiment
- 4th (v) Sri Lanka Engineers Regiment
- 15th (v) Sri Lanka Engineers Regiment
- 2nd (v) Sri Lanka Signals Corps Regiment
- 2nd (v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
- 5th (v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
- 9th (v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
- 14th (v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
- 16th (v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
- 17th (v) Sri Lanka Light Infantry
- 2nd (v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
- 3rd (v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
- 5th (v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
- 11th (v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
- 15th (v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
- 17th (v) Battalion, Sri Lanka Sinha Regiment
- 2nd (v) Gemunu Watch
- 3rd (v) Gemunu Watch
- 10th (v) Gemunu Watch
- 14th (v) Gemunu Watch
- 15th (v) Gemunu Watch
- 16th (v) Gemunu Watch
- 2nd (v) Gajaba Regiment
- 5th (v) Gajaba Regiment
- 7th (v) Gajaba Regiment
- 11th (v) Gajaba Regiment
- 15th (v) Gajaba Regiment
- 17th (v) Gajaba Regiment
- 2nd (v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
- 3rd (v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
- 10th (v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
- 12th (v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
- 17th (v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
- 20th (v) Vijayabahu Infantry Regiment
- 5th (v) Mechanized Infantry Regiment
- 3rd (v) Military Intelligence Corps
- 6th (v) Military Intelligence Corps
- 4th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 6th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 7th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 8th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 9th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 10th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 12th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 14th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 15th (v) Engineer Service Regiment
- 2nd (v) Sri Lanka Army Service Corps
- 9th (v) Sri Lanka Army Service Corps
- 2nd (v) Sri Lanka Army Medical Corps
- 4th (v) Ordnance Battalion
Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
- 2nd (v) Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
- 2nd (v) Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
- 5th (v) Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
- 6th (v) Sri Lanka Army General Service Corps
- 2nd (v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 3rd (v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 4th (v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 5th (v) Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps
- 1st Bn Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps
- 2nd Bn Sri Lanka Army Pioneer Corps
- 1st Bn Sri Lanka Rifle Corps
- 2nd Bn Sri Lanka Rifle Corps
- 1st Sri Lanka National Guard
- 2nd Sri Lanka National Guard
- 3rd Sri Lanka National Guard
- 4th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 5th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 6th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 7th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 8th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 9th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 10th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 11th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 12th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 13th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 14th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 15th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 16th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 17th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 18th Sri Lanka National Guard
- 19th Sri Lanka National Guard
- Sri Lanka National Guard (RFT)
Volunteer Force Training School
Former units
- Ceylon Railway Engineer Corps
- Post and Telegraph Signals
- Ruhunu Regiment
- Rajarata Rifles
- National Service Regiment
- Ceylon National Guard
- Home Guard Regiment
- 2nd (V) Antiaircraft Regiment, Ceylon Artillery
- 2nd (V) Field/Plant Regiment, Ceylon Engineers
Training
SLAVF focuses on basic training for
Awards and decorations
- Karyakshama Seva Vibhushanaya - Since 1972 for Commissioned Officers.
- Karyakshama Seva Padakkama - Since 1972 for other ranks.
- Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force Centenary Medal - Awarded on the 100th Anniversary of the Volunteer Force
- Efficiency Decoration (Ceylon) - 1930 to 1972 for Commissioned Officers.
- Efficiency Medal (Ceylon) - 1930 to 1972 for other ranks.
General of the Volunteer Force of the Army
Three former members of the volunteer force have been awarded the
- General Sir John Kotelawala — Former Prime Minister of Ceylon and Minister of Defense and External Affairs.
- General Ranjan Wijeratne — Former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Defence.
- General Anuruddha Ratwatte — Former Minister of Power and Energy and Deputy Minister for Defence
Notable members
- Captain Saliya Upul Aladeniya - recipient of the Parama Weera Vibhushanaya
- Karu Jayasuriya - Former Speaker of Parliament and Minister
- Nissanka Wijeyeratne — Former Minister
- C. P. J. Seneviratne — Former Minister
- Ravi Jayewardene - Former National Security Adviser
- Brigadier Christopher Allan Hector Perera Jayawardena - Senior Assistant Conservator of Forests and Aide-de-camp to the Governor-General
- Colonel attempted military coup
- Major Victor Gunasekara - Former Controller of Imports Exports, Government Agent of Kegalle and Secretary to the Board of Control for Cricket.
- Major Duncan White - First Ceylonese Olympic Silver Medalist
- Susanthika Jayasinghe - Sri Lankan Olympic Silver Medalist
- Major Dinesh Chandimal - former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team
- Major Thisara Perera - former captain of the Sri Lanka national cricket team
- Captain Bob Harvie - radio personality
- Lieutenant Colonel J.H.V. de Alwis — Commanding Officer, 2nd Volunteer Engineers, Ceylon Engineers, an accused members of the attempted military coup
- Lieutenant Colonel B.R. Jesudasan — Commanding Officer, 2nd Volunteer Signals, Ceylon Signals Corps, an accused members of the attempted military coup.
- Lieutenant Colonel Noel Mathyesz - Commanding Officer, Ceylon Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, an accused members of the attempted military coup in 1962.
- Captain J.A.R. Felix — Staff Officer, Ceylon Volunteer Force Headquarters, an accused members of the attempted military coup in 1962.
See also
References
- ^ "Indias.com, Sri Lankan Army". Indias. Archived from the original on 2006-03-22. Retrieved 2006-02-04.
- ^ "History of the Sri Lanka Light Infantry Regiment, Sri Lanka Army". Sri Lanka Army. Archived from the original on 2006-07-08. Retrieved 2006-02-04.