Lionel Balagalle

General Lionel Balagalle was the Commander of the Sri Lanka Army between 1999 and 2004. When he retired from his post on 15 July 2009, he was appointed the Chief of Defence staff of the Sri Lankan armed forces.

Balagalle joined the Army as an Officer Cadet on 5 April 1965. He held many key appointments in the Army prior to being its Chief. Among them is General Officer Commanding (GOC), 51 Division (Jaffna), and Commander-Security Forces (Jaffna). He is the first serving Army Commander in the country to hold the position as the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).