Wasantha Karannagoda
Encyclopedia
Admiral
Wasantha Karannagoda RSP
, VSV
, USP
, MBA, MSc
, ndc, psc
, DISS, PISS, MRIN, MNI, SLN was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy
and current Sri Lankan Ambassador to Japan
. Before serving as the Commander of the Navy he commanded four Operational Naval Commands on seven occasions. He has the distinction of being the only officer to be considered to the highest seating of the Commander of the Navy straight from a Naval Area Command. When he retired from his post on 15 July 2009,he was made the Advisor to the President on National Security.
After assuming command of the Navy, he changed the modus operandi of Sri Lankan Navy operations by increasing deep sea operations against LTTE arms. This ensured the success of naval operations against the LTTE with the destruction of over eight LTTE ships within a year.
He possesses a Masters in Business Administration as well as in Defence Studies. He is also a member of the Royal Institute of Navigation
and the Nautical Institute
of the United Kingdom. Admiral
Karannagoda is a product of Ananda College
, Colombo
.
During his naval carrier he has held many senior commands, including four Operational Naval Commands on seven occasions – Northern, Eastern and Western Commands twice each and North Central once, for a total period spanning six years, first ever Director General (Operations) at Naval Headquarters, Director Naval Projects and Plans, Director Naval Personnel and Training, Commandant of the Naval & Maritime Academy, Deputy Area Commander (West), Deputy Area Commander (North) and Deputy Area Commander (East), Deputy Area Commander (south).
As a Navigator, he has served many years at sea. His sea career terminated in 1992 on board SLNS Wickrama (a Sri Lankan navy ship) with the abdication of command and duties as the Commander of the 7th Surveillance Command Squadron. In the early 1980s he had served as Flag Lieutenant for Admiral
Basil Gunasekara
, the then commander of the Navy.
During his years in the navy he was awarded the Rana Sura Padakkama
medal, the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
, the Uttama Seva Padakkama
service medals and several other service and campaign medals including the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal
, North and East Operations Medal
, Purna Bhumi Padakkama
, Riviresa Campaign Services Medal
, Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal
, Sri Lanka Navy 50th Anniversary Medal, President's Inauguration Medal
and the 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal.
He is an alumnus of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
, Hawaii, the Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University
in Washington D.C., the Royal Naval Staff College
in the United Kingdom
, and the National Defence College
of Pakistan.
After the conclusion of Eelam War IV and the demise of the LTTE, he was awarded the rank of Admiral
by the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse, in recognition of his contribution during the campaign.
He was made the advisor to the President on
National security.
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Wasantha Karannagoda 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...
, VSV
Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
The Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya medal and bar are presented to Sri Lankan senior military officers of three services, given that their loyal service is of not less than 25 years and possess a perfectly flawless record of moral and military conduct, will be appropriate for the award...
, 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...
, MBA, 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...
, ndc, psc
Psc
psc were the initials which appeared in the service lists denoting that a British Army officer had attended the Staff College, Camberley or, prior to 1956 and Pakistani independence, the Command and Staff College, Quetta...
, DISS, PISS, MRIN, MNI, SLN was the Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy
Commander of the Navy (Sri Lanka)
The Commander of the Navy is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Navy. The current Commander of the Navy is Vice Admiral D.W.S. Dissanayake...
and current Sri Lankan Ambassador to Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Before serving as the Commander of the Navy he commanded four Operational Naval Commands on seven occasions. He has the distinction of being the only officer to be considered to the highest seating of the Commander of the Navy straight from a Naval Area Command. When he retired from his post on 15 July 2009,he was made the Advisor to the President on National Security.
After assuming command of the Navy, he changed the modus operandi of Sri Lankan Navy operations by increasing deep sea operations against LTTE arms. This ensured the success of naval operations against the LTTE with the destruction of over eight LTTE ships within a year.
He possesses a Masters in Business Administration as well as in Defence Studies. He is also a member of the Royal Institute of Navigation
Royal Institute of Navigation
The Royal Institute of Navigation is a British institution devoted to the art and science of navigation established in 1947.Its aims are to bring navigators together, to develop navigational techniques and to increase public awareness of navigation. It is based in Kensington, London. It was...
and the Nautical Institute
Nautical Institute
The Nautical Institute is an international professional organization for maritime professionals, based in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1971 and has the status of a company limited by guarantee and is registered with the Charity Commission. It has over 7,000 members in over 110...
of the United Kingdom. Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Karannagoda is a product of Ananda College
Ananda College
Ananda College , Colombo which is considered as the leading National school in Sri Lanka, was established on November 1, 1886, by the Buddhist Theosophical Society led by Colonel Henry Steel Olcott...
, Colombo
Colombo
Colombo is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte, the capital of Sri Lanka. Colombo is often referred to as the capital of the country, since Sri Jayawardenapura Kotte is a satellite city of Colombo...
.
During his naval carrier he has held many senior commands, including four Operational Naval Commands on seven occasions – Northern, Eastern and Western Commands twice each and North Central once, for a total period spanning six years, first ever Director General (Operations) at Naval Headquarters, Director Naval Projects and Plans, Director Naval Personnel and Training, Commandant of the Naval & Maritime Academy, Deputy Area Commander (West), Deputy Area Commander (North) and Deputy Area Commander (East), Deputy Area Commander (south).
As a Navigator, he has served many years at sea. His sea career terminated in 1992 on board SLNS Wickrama (a Sri Lankan navy ship) with the abdication of command and duties as the Commander of the 7th Surveillance Command Squadron. In the early 1980s he had served as Flag Lieutenant for Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
Basil Gunasekara
Basil Gunasekara
Admiral Deshamanya D. Basil Gunasekara, ndc, psc, SLN was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy from 1973 to 1979.-Early life & education:Born to a planter in Katana, Asoka was the youngest child of a family of five members...
, the then commander of the Navy.
During his years in the navy he was awarded the 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...
medal, the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya
The Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya medal and bar are presented to Sri Lankan senior military officers of three services, given that their loyal service is of not less than 25 years and possess a perfectly flawless record of moral and military conduct, will be appropriate for the award...
, the 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...
service medals and several other service and campaign medals including the 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...
, North and East Operations Medal
North and East Operations Medal
The North and East Operations Medal is presented to all ranks of the Regular and Volunteer Forces of the military of the Republic of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Police, who have served in the Norther and Eastern provinces for an accumulated period of 3 years since July 23, 1983.-Areas of service...
, Purna Bhumi Padakkama
Purna Bhumi Padakkama
The Purna Bhumi Padakkama is presented to all ranks of the Regular and Volunteer Forces of the military of the Republic of Sri Lanka and the Sri Lanka Police, who have served in the districts of:* Jaffna since July 22, 1977....
, Riviresa Campaign Services Medal
Riviresa Campaign Services Medal
The Riviresa Campaign Services Medal is presented to all ranks of the Regular and Volunteer Forces of the military of the Republic of Sri Lanka and to those who have served in Operation Riviresa.-Who received the medal:...
, Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal
Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal
It is ordained that the medal shall be awarded to all ranks of the Regular and Volunteer Forces of the Armed Service of the Republic of Sri Lanka, including officers but excluding those in the ranks of the Ceylon Cadet Corps, who were in service on the 22nd May 1972 and who are recommended by the...
, Sri Lanka Navy 50th Anniversary Medal, President's Inauguration Medal
President's Inauguration Medal
The President's Inauguration Medal was granted to all regular officers and other ranks of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and Sri Lanka Air Force, but excluding those in the ranks of the Sri Lanka Cadet Corps, who were in service on the 04th February 1978 and who are recommended by the Commander...
and the 50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal.
He is an alumnus of the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies
The is a United States Department of Defense regional study, conference, and research center established in Honolulu, Hawaii, United States on September 4, 1995. The Center supports the United States Pacific Command theater security cooperation strategy of maintaining positive security...
, Hawaii, the Near East-South Asia Center for Strategic Studies at the National Defense University
National Defense University
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the United States Department of Defense, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy. It is chartered by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, with Navy Vice Admiral...
in Washington D.C., the Royal Naval Staff College
Joint Services Command and Staff College
Joint Services Command and Staff College is a British military academic establishment providing training and education to experienced officers of the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Ministry of Defence Civil Service, and serving officers of other states.-History:JSCSC combined the single...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, and the National Defence College
National Defence University, Islamabad
The National Defense University is an institution of higher education funded by the Ministry of Defence of Government of Pakistan, intended to facilitate high-level training, education, and the development of national security strategy...
of Pakistan.
After the conclusion of Eelam War IV and the demise of the LTTE, he was awarded the rank of Admiral
Admiral
Admiral is the rank, or part of the name of the ranks, of the highest naval officers. It is usually considered a full admiral and above vice admiral and below admiral of the fleet . It is usually abbreviated to "Adm" or "ADM"...
by the President of Sri Lanka, His Excellency Mahinda Rajapakse, in recognition of his contribution during the campaign.
He was made the advisor to the President on
National security.