Ex-Army Chief’s services to the nation stressed

9th General Deshamanya Dennis Perera Oration

Navy Commander Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera recalled the pioneering work done by General Deshamanya Dennis Perera to establish a Defence Academy during his tenure as the eighth Commander of the Sri Lanka Army. The plot of land ‘’Kandawala Wattha’ belonging to General Sir John Kotelawala, then Prime Minister of Sri Lanka was utilized to establish this Defence Academy, the Navy Chief said.

VA Perera said so delivering the 9th General Deshamanya Dennis Perera oration organized by the Association of Retired Flag Rank Officers (ARFRO) at the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University (KDU) Auditorium recently.

Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera said that he was humbly proud as the Commander of the Navy to be able to deliver the memorial oration for General Deshamanya Dennis Perera, as the first service commander to emerge from the Kotelawala Defense University. The Navy Chief remembered General Deshamanya Dennis Perera’s invincible contribution to the motherland through his exceptional leadership qualities to bequeath capable officers of the three-armed forces. The General’s remarkable contributions to the nation, both in his capacity as a diplomatic officer and during his tenure as the Chancellor of KDU for the longest time, following his retirement from military service was also stressed.

The Navy Chief also dealt with non-traditional maritime challenges and the evolving dynamics under the theme of ‘GRAY ZONE MARITIME CONFLICT’S OVERSPILL TO INDIAN OCEAN’. He emphasized that in contemporary times, both state and non-state actors worldwide are veering away from conventional face-to-face conflicts of the past. Instead, they leverage advancements in Diplomatic, Information, Military and Economic domains to pursue their objectives and interests to the fullest extent.

Vice Admiral Priyantha Perera elucidated these points in a presentation, highlighting how these emerging trends, which transcend traditional diplomatic boundaries, have also encroached upon the Indian Ocean.

He said that the impact of maritime conflicts occurring in such a background not only affect regional and non-regional states, but also Sri Lanka, an island nation located in a strategically important position in the Indian Ocean, and pointed out it is important for all maritime stakeholders to act collectively to overcome such maritime challenges.