Vice Admiral Colombage assumes duties as 18th Navy Commander

New navy Commander Vice Admiral Jayanath Colombage, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds, psc assumed duties as the new Sri Lanka Navy Commander at the Naval Headquarters in Colombo yesterday.

President Mahinda Rajapaksa appointed Rear Admiral Jayanath Colombage as the Navy Commander and promoted him to the 3-star rank of a Vice Admiral with effect from September27. He is the 18th Naval Officer to reach the helm in its 61-year history.

Vice Admiral Colombage is only the second officer to be considered to the highest seat of the Commander of the Navy straight from an Operational Naval Command. Until yesterday, he served as the Eastern Naval Area Commander at the historic Naval Dockyard in Trincomalee.

He has achieved many firsts in his distinguished, decorative and unblemished Naval career of 34 years. He has been conferred with two Masters Degrees - Master of Science in Defence Studies and Master of Arts in International Studies. Presently, Vice Admiral Colombage is reading for his Doctorate in Philosophy.

Vice Admiral Colombage has been a regular lecturer at the Defence Services Command and Staff College in Colombo since its inception. He is an expert on Maritime Security and has published papers and conducted National Level Seminars on Maritime Security and certified by the International Maritime Organization as a lecturer on International Conventions on Port and Ship Security.

He has presented many papers on Maritime Terrorism related subjects within Sri Lanka as well as at international forums. He has published a book titled ‘Naval Terms and Expressions’ and actively contributes to various academic forums.

He is a distinguished alumni of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington in India, Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies, Hawaii in the United States of America and Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom. He is also an Associate of the Nautical Institute of the United Kingdom and currently the President of the Sri Lanka Chapter.

Also, he holds Diplomas in Security Studies, Conflict Resolution, International Affairs and Information Technology. Vice Admiral Colombage joined the Sri Lanka Navy as an Officer Cadet on 23rd August 1978 and successfully completed his basic training at the renowned Naval and Maritime Academy in Trincomalee winning the ‘Sword of Honour’ for the Best Officer Cadet of the 7th Intake. He was then selected to attend the prestigious International Midshipmen Course in the Britannia Royal Naval College, Dartmouth in the United Kingdom.

He has commanded four Operational Naval Commands - Eastern, Northern, Western and North Central for a period spanning 4 years. Also, he served twice as the Director General Operations at the Naval Headquarters. Prior to that he served as the Director General Services as well as Director Naval Training and Personnel.

Vice Admiral Colombage also had served in the appointments of Deputy Area Commander (North Central), Deputy Area Commander (South) and Deputy Area Commander (East).

The new Navy Commander has commanded numerous ships of the Sri Lanka Navy including the Fast Missile Vessels, Fast Gun Boats, Fast Attack Craft and Amphibious ships and has been awarded the Surface Warfare Badge. He is a weapons specialist who has undergone extensive training with the Indian Navy and in the People’s Republic of China. He is a recipient of the Rana Sura Padakkama for gallantry. Among the other medals awarded are the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya , the Utthama Seva Padakkama , the Sri Lanka Navy 50th Anniversary Medal, the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the President’s Inauguration Medal, the 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal, the East Humanitarian Operation Medal, the North Humanitarian Operation Medal, the North and East Operations Medal, the Purna Bhumi Padakkama , the Vadamarachchi Operation Medal and the Riviresa Campaign Service Medal.

Vice Admiral Colombage is one of the most commended Naval Officers. Successive Commanders of the Navy have issued him with ‘Letters of Commendation’ for exceptional execution of duties and responsibilities and for his achievements in numerous fields such as operational activities, leadership, managerial and administrative skills, academic achievements, highest commitment and dedication towards the cause of the nation. He is the recipient of the prestigious 5-Star Commendation Badge.

Vice Admiral Colombage hails from Katunayake. He married Srima who is a trained teacher in IT. They have a daughter, Indeewari who is employed as an Assistant Director at the Central Bank of Sri Lanka.

Vice Admiral Colombage is a product of St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy and becomes the first Old Sylvestrian to be elevated to the position a Service Commander in Sri Lanka's military history.