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The Commander of the Navy is the professional head of the Sri Lanka Navy. The current Commander of the Navy is Vice Admiral Ravindra Wijegunaratne (appointed on 11 July 2015). It is a position comparable to that of First Sea Lord of the Royal Navy or Chief of Naval Operations in the United States Navy.
In the recent past all serving Navy commanders have been of the rank of Vice Admiral, promoted to the Honorary rank of Admiral when retiring or promoted to Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).
History
The Post of Captain of the Navy was created in the Navy Act of 1950 when the Royal Ceylon Navy was created 9 December 1950 as the head of the navy.
In 1972 the "Dominion of Ceylon" became the "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka" and the Royal Ceylon Navy became the Sri Lanka Navy. The post "Captain of the Navy" was changed to "Commander of the Navy", in keeping with the terminology adopted by the other two services.