Devinda Kalupahana

Devinda Kalupahana
Service/branch	Sri Lanka Army
Years of service	1966-1996
Rank	Major General
Unit	Sri Lanka Armoured Corps
Commands held	23 Division, 23 Division, Sri Lanka Military Academy
Battles/wars	1971 Insurrection, Sri Lankan Civil War, Insurrection 1987-89
Awards	Rana Sura Padakkama, Uttama Seva Padakkama

Major General Devinda Kalupahana, RSP, USP, psc, SLAC is a Sri Lankan general, who was the former GOC, 3 Division; GOC, 2 Division; Director Operations, General Staff and Commandant, Sri Lanka Military Academy.^[1]

Educated at Royal College, Colombo, Kalupahana joined the army in 1966 as a cadet officer, undergoing training at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst. While at Sandhurst, his cadet intake for the winter training exercise where sent to Cyprus when the Cypriot intercommunal violence broke out and the Sandhurst Cadets were deployed until they were relived by regular units ^[2] In 1968 he was commissioned in to the 1st Reconnaissance Regiment, Ceylon Armoured Corps as a Second Lieutenant.

After serving as a Troop Leader in the Ceylon Armoured Corps, he became a Officer Instructor that the Army Training Centre in Diyatalawa and returned several years later as Chief Instructor of its successor the Sri Lanka Military Academy. He had also severed as a staff officer in the Northern Command Headquarters, Sri Lanka Army Headquarters and the Joint Operations Headquarters. He also served as the Commandant of the Combat Training School in Ampara.

Raising the 3rd Reconnaissance Regiment of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps, he became its first Commanding Officer in 1988, by now a Lieutenant Colonel. He then became the Commandant of the Sri Lanka Military Academy and went on to take command in the Area Headquarters in Vavuniya.

During Operation Sea Breeze the first amphibious operation launched by the Sri Lankan military in its history; Colonel Kalupahana lead the Brigade that land on the second wave which successfully established the beach head.^[3]

Thereafter he went on the become the Director Operations at the Army Headquarters; Regimental Commander of the Sri Lanka Armoured Corps; General Officer Commanding of the 3 Division and General Officer Commanding of the 2 Division. He reteired from the army with the rank of Major General in 1996.

General Kalupahana is a graduate of the Armed Forces Staff and Command College in Germany. He was awarded the Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP) for combat bravery, the service medal Uttama Seva Padakkama (USP), the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, the Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal and the Purna Bhumi Padakkama.

In 2010 he gave evidence to the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission.^[4]

References

1. ^ Major General D Kalupahana RSP USP psc
2. ^ Lalin’s Column: Obrigado (Thank you) Portugal
3. ^ Elephant Pass
4. ^ Kalupahana alleges CBK undermined ‘reconciliation process’

External links

Persondata
Name	Kalupahana, Devinda
Alternative names
Short description	Sri Lankan general
Date of birth
Place of birth
Date of death
Place of death