Vice Admiral Damian Fernando has been appointed as the new Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy by the Commander-in-Chief, President Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
He has served as the Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Navy until now, and has been promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and has been appointed as the 27th Commander of the Navy.
The relevant appointment letter was handed over to him by the Secretary to the President, Dr. Nandika Sanath Kumanayake, at the Presidential Secretariat this afternoon (30). The current Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, has been promoted to the rank of Admiral and is scheduled to retire from tomorrow.
The new Navy Commander, Vice Admiral Damian Fernando, is scheduled to assume his duties tomorrow (1). An alumnus of St. Joseph’s College, Wennappuwa, he joined the Sri Lanka Navy in 1991 as an Executive Cadet Officer.
After successfully completing his basic naval training at the Naval and Oceanographic College, Trincomalee, he was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant in 1993, becoming the 27th Navy Commander in the history of the Sri Lanka Navy.
Vice Admiral Damian Fernando, who has completed numerous professional and specialist training courses both locally and abroad during his nearly 35 years of naval service, has received numerous awards including the Ranasura and Uttama Seva Medals.
Vice Admiral Damian Fernando holds a Master of Science in Security Studies from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University and a Master of Science in International Security and Strategic Studies from King's College London.