Two Air Force cadets gain admission to USAF Academy

COLOMBO: Two young cadets of the Sri Lanka Air Force recently received certificates of appointment to the prestigious United States Air Force Academy in Colorado.

US Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission James Moore presented the documents to Viludani Yatawara, the first Sri Lankan woman cadet officer to get selected to the programme and to Chamara Wijesinghe.

The United States Air Force Academy offers a four-year programme of instruction and experience designed to provide cadets the knowledge essential for leadership and the motivation to serve as Air Force Career Officers. Each cadet graduates with a Bachelor of Science degree and a commission as a Pilot Officer in the Air Force.

Each year, Sri Lanka has an opportunity to nominate candidates for the US Service Academy Programme. Cadets Yatawara and Wijesinghe were nominated by the SLAF after several competitive interviews and a physical aptitude examination.

Their applications were subsequently forwarded to the US Air Force Academy by the US Embassy. The two Sri Lankans competed against eligible candidates from 29 other countries for a limited number of seats allocated for international applicants.

As a result, the Sri Lanka Air Force will now have three cadets at the US Air Force Academy, one officer gained admission last year. In addition, Sri Lanka presently has two cadets at US Military Academy at West Point.