Rear Admiral

Rear Admiral

Rear admiral is a naval commissioned officer rank above that of a commodore and captain, and below that of a vice admiral. It is generally regarded as the lowest of the "admiral" ranks, which are also sometimes referred to as "flag officers" or "flag ranks"...

 Shemal Fernando, RSP

Rana Sura Padakkama

The Rana Sura Padakkama is a medal presented to members of all ranks of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual and/or associated acts of heroism in facing the enemy and performed of their own accord. The decoration is presented by the President of Sri Lanka...

, USP

Uttama Seva Padakkama

The Uttama Seva Padakkama is presented to all ranks of the Regular Forces of the Sri Lankan military for valuable service and dedication to duty with the outstanding ability, merit and excellent conduct, given that they count not less than 15 years continuous and uninterrupted service and possess...

, psc, FCMI

Chartered Management Institute

The Chartered Management Institute is a professional institution for managers, based in the United Kingdom.In addition to supporting its members, the organisation encourages management development, carries out research, produces a wide variety of publications on management interests, and publishes...

, SLN

Sri Lankan Navy

-The Beginning and World War II:In January 1938 the Ceylon Naval Volunteer Force was created with Commander W.G. Beauchamp as Commanding Officer under ordinance No I of 1937. On 31 August 1939 at the out set of World War II, the CNVF was mobilized for war duties...

 was a Sri Lankan admiral and athlete. He is the current Director General Logistics and Naval Secretary former Director Naval Administration.

Educated at the prestiges Royal College Colombo

Royal College Colombo

The Royal College of Colombo was founded in January 1835 in Colombo. It is considered to be the leading Public School in Sri Lanka...

. He joined the Sri Lanka Navy as an Officer Cadet

Officer Cadet

Officer cadet is a rank held by military and merchant navy cadets during their training to become commissioned officers and merchant navy officers, respectively. The term officer trainee is used interchangeably in some countries...

 in the Executive Branch in 1979. After successful completion of officer training at the Naval and Maritime Academy

Naval and Maritime Academy

Naval and Maritime Academy , Trincomalee, is the location of initial officer training in the Sri Lanka Navy, and is located within SLN Dockyard, Trincomalee. It received university status in 2001...

 as a Midshipman

Midshipman

A midshipman is an officer cadet, or a commissioned officer of the lowest rank, in the Royal Navy, United States Navy, and many Commonwealth navies. Commonwealth countries which use the rank include Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, India, Pakistan, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Kenya...

 he was commissioned as a Sub-Lieutenant

Sub-Lieutenant

Sub-lieutenant is a military rank. It is normally a junior officer rank.In many navies, a sub-lieutenant is a naval commissioned or subordinate officer, ranking below a lieutenant. In the Royal Navy the rank of sub-lieutenant is equivalent to the rank of lieutenant in the British Army and of...

.

Fernando is a graduate of the Naval War College

Naval War College

The Naval War College is an education and research institution of the United States Navy that specializes in developing ideas for naval warfare and passing them along to officers of the Navy. The college is located on the grounds of Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island...

, he a holds an MSc

MSC

- Computers:* Mario Strikers Charged* Microsoft Common Console Document, file for the Microsoft Management Console* Microelectronics Support Centre* Microsoft Corporation* MIDI Show Control* Message Sequence Chart...

 in Management from the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University

General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University located at Kandawala, Ratmalana, Colombo, is a joint services academy where cadets of the three wings Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force are trained before they go for their pre-commission training to their academies...

, a Diploma on Conflict Resolution from the University for Peace

University for Peace

The University for Peace was established in Costa Rica in 1980 "to provide humanity with an international institution of higher education for peace and with the aim of promoting among all human beings the spirit of understanding, tolerance and peaceful coexistence."At present, the UPEACE Costa...

 and is a Fellow

Fellow

A fellow in the broadest sense is someone who is an equal or a comrade. The term fellow is also used to describe a person, particularly by those in the upper social classes. It is most often used in an academic context: a fellow is often part of an elite group of learned people who are awarded...

 of the Chartered Management Institute

Chartered Management Institute

The Chartered Management Institute is a professional institution for managers, based in the United Kingdom.In addition to supporting its members, the organisation encourages management development, carries out research, produces a wide variety of publications on management interests, and publishes...

. Reaching the rank of Commodore

Commodore (rank)

Commodore is a military rank used in many navies that is superior to a navy captain, but below a rear admiral. Non-English-speaking nations often use the rank of flotilla admiral or counter admiral as an equivalent .It is often regarded as a one-star rank with a NATO code of OF-6, but is not always...

 as one of the youngest to hold that rank and was later promoted to the post of Director Naval Administration. In 2011 he was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral, taking up the post of Director General Logistics.

Commodore Fernando has been awarded the gallantry medal Rana Sura Padakkama

Rana Sura Padakkama

The Rana Sura Padakkama is a medal presented to members of all ranks of the Military of Sri Lanka for individual and/or associated acts of heroism in facing the enemy and performed of their own accord. The decoration is presented by the President of Sri Lanka...

 for individual acts of bravery in combat, the service medals Uttama Seva Padakkama

Uttama Seva Padakkama

The Uttama Seva Padakkama is presented to all ranks of the Regular Forces of the Sri Lankan military for valuable service and dedication to duty with the outstanding ability, merit and excellent conduct, given that they count not less than 15 years continuous and uninterrupted service and possess...

, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal

Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal

The Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal shall be granted to All regular officers and other ranks of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force, who complete 12 years continuous service and whose character and conduct have been irreproachable and who are recommended by their...

and the campaign medals Northern Humanitarian Operations Medal and Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal.

He is a freelance journalist and has been a regular contributer to local news papers. A member of the executive council of the Athletic Association of Sri Lanka, he was the manager of the Sri Lankan Olympic Contingent. Recently he was appointed Chairman of the National Shooting Sport Federation of Sri Lanka.