Indian Defence College team meets Defence Secretary [October 04 2011]
A 15-member delegation from the National Defence College, New Delhi, who are currently on a tour of Sri Lanka, meets Secretary Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
The delegation comprises 14 senior officers from the Indian armed forces and civil services, apart from three other officers from USA, Nepal and Vietnam. The delegation is led by Maj. Gen. PK Goswami, VSM, Senior Directing Staff, National Defence College (NDC).
During the visit, the delegation they met Commanders of SL Army, Navy and Air Force. The delegation would also be interacting with officials of the Sri Lankan Ministry of External Affairs and the Central Bank. They will also visit Trincomalee and call on the Commander Eastern Naval Area.
At the ceremony organized for inaugurating the Sri Lanka Chapter of the Alumni of the National Defence College, the Commander of Sri Lanka Navy hosted a reception for the delegation at the Light House Galley on 2nd October. The reception was attended by H.E. the High Commissioner of India, Mr. Ashok K Kantha, RAdm (Retd) Mohan Wijewickrama, Governor of Eastern Province, Maj Gen (Retd) GA Chandrasiri, Governor of Northern Province, RAdm (Retd) Sarath Weerasekara, Member of Parliament and several members of the NDC Alumni in Sri Lanka.
The NDC Alumni Chapter in Sri Lanka is the first of its kind outside India. Among the foreign countries that are offered slots in the Indian NDC, Sri Lanka is the only country to be offered two slots every year. Sri Lanka has the highest number of NDC alumni of 58, which will go up to 60 on completion of the ongoing course in December 2011. Out of the 58 NDC alumni in Sri Lanka, 24 have risen to become Commanders of Sri Lankan armed forces (10 have become Commander of Sri Lanka Army, 7 have become Commander of Sri Lanka Navy and 7 have become Commander of Sri Lanka Air Force). VAdm. DWAS Dissanayake, the present Commander of Sri Lanka Navy, is the senior most serving officer among the Indian NDC alumni in Sri Lanka.