CDS ATTENDS EVENING RECEPTION OF THE 'COLOMBO AIR SYMPOSIUM - 2023'

The Sri Lanka Air Force hosted a grand Evening Reception in parallel with the 'Colombo Air Symposium - 2023' at the Eagle's Lakeside Banquet and Convention Hall in Attidiya, Colombo in the evening yesterday (10 October 2023). The event saw the esteemed presence of Honorable Premitha Bandara Tennakoon, the State Minister of Defence, as the distinguished guest speaker.

The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Shavendra Silva WWV RWP RSP VSV USP ndc psc MPhil, was in attendance, having received a cordial invitation from the Commander of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF), Air Marshal Udeni Rajapaksa RSP and two Bars, VSV, USP, MSc (MOA) USA, MSc (Def Stu) in Mgt, MA in IS&S (UK), BSc (Def Stu), MIM (SL), AMIE (SL), rcds, psc. During the event, General Silva commended the SLAF for its efforts and congratulated the officers for their outstanding work.

The Commander of the SLAF expressed his gratitude to the CDS for accepting the invitation to participate in both the symposium and the evening reception. He also thanked CDS for the continued support and assistance provided to the SLAF.

Addressing the gathering, the State Minister of Defence highlighted that the dynamics of war are evolving fast and the traditional tactics are already refined in the modern battlefield. Further, he stated that these types of forums provide the best platform for the advancement of our military in multiple dimensions. The State Minister also stated that the Sri Lanka Air Force is presently experiencing a challenging period due to many reasons and these kinds of academic forums would facilitate to find strategic alternatives to effectively address the same. Hon Premitha Bandara Tennakoon encouraged officers to research and present papers that would enable our human resources to stand in par with the best in the world.

The glamorous evening which was coloured with traditional and cultural events was also attended by the Secretary to the Ministry of Defence, Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy, foreign dignitaries and military personnel, and a number of distinguished invitees.