General Gerard Hector de Silva (Retired) RWP VSV USP ndc
General Gerard Hector de Silva (Retired) RWP VSV USP ndc was appointed as the 5th Chancellor of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University by His Excellency the President Gotabaya Rajapaksa with effect from 20th January 2020.
Having joined the Sri Lanka Army in May 1960 as an Officer Cadet, General de Silva reached the zenith of his military career to become the 13th Commander of the Sri Lanka Army on 01st January 1994.
General de Silva is an old boy of St Joseph’s College, Colombo, and he had been an outstanding sportsman representing the college in Cricket and Swimming. Trained at prestigious Royal Military Academy Sand Hurst, he was commissioned into the Ceylon Sinha Regiment on 03rd August 1962 and was subsequently transferred to the 1st Battalion Gemunu Watch.
General de Silva has followed a Junior Command Course in Pakistan and a Senior Command Course in India, and he has served in many important appointments such as Commander Northern Command, Commander Security Forces Jaffna, Regimental Commander Gemunu Watch, Principal Staff Officer JOC, General Officer Command 3 Division and 2 Division, Commander Sri Lanka Volunteer Force and the Chief of Staff of the Army before becoming the Commander of the Army. He retired from the Sri Lanka Army on 30th April 1996.