Lionel Balagalle
General Lionel Balagalle was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army during 1999 - 2004.[1] When he retired from his post on 15 July 2009,he was made the Chief of Defence staff of the Sri Lankan armed forces.
Balagalle joined the Army as an Officer Cadet on April 5, 1965. He held many key appointments in the Army prior to being its Chief. Among them is General Officer Commanding (GOC), 51 divisions (Jaffna), Commander-Security Forces (Jaffna) etc. He is the first serving Army Commander in the country to hold the position as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).[2][3]