Chief of the Defence Staff (Sri Lanka)
| Chief of the Defence Staff | |
|---|---|
| Sri Lanka Armed Forces | |
| Constituting instrument | Chief of Defence Staff Act, No. 35 of 2009 |
| Formation | 11 February 1985 as General Officer Commanding, Joint Operations Command |
| First holder | General Tissa Weeratunga (as GOC-JOC) |
| Final holder | General Shavendra Silva |
| Abolished | 31 December 2024 |
| Website | Official website |
The Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) was the most senior appointment in the Sri Lankan Armed Forces, and the highest-ranking military officer in service, outranking the heads of each service branch. The CDS had not operational command authority over service branches, but rather oversaw inter-service co-operation and developed and implemented the joint operations doctrine of the Sri Lankan armed forces. Coordination of inter-service joint operations were handled by the Office of the Chief of the Defence Staff, formally known as the Joint Operations Headquarters.
The CDS was the Chairman of a Committee made up of service commanders and is a member of the National Security Council.
Its subordinate command was known as the Overall Operational Command.