36th JNSC concludes with graduation ceremony at NMA

Marking the successful completion of an intensive programme, the 36th Junior Naval Staff Course culminated in a graduation ceremony held at the Auditorium of Naval and Maritime Academy (NMA), Trincomalee on 22 Mar 25. The ceremony was presided over by the Commander of the Navy, Vice Admiral Kanchana Banagoda, as the chief guest, with the attendance of the Deputy Chief of Staff and Commander Eastern Naval Area Rear Admiral Chinthaka Kumarasinghe.

This academic and professional training programme of JNSC, held at the Naval and Maritime Academy, is designed to prepare mid-career officers for future leadership roles within the Sri Lanka Navy and broader defence services.

Commenced on 11 Nov 24, the course featured a total of 20 officers, including 01 officer from the Indian Navy and an officer (01) from the Sri Lanka Air Force, apart from 18 officers from the Sri Lanka Navy. During the ceremony, several Student Officers were awarded with special awards for their exceptional achievements. Accordingly, Lieutenant Commander (G) ELCA Perera was awarded as the First in Overall Order of Merit and Highest Aggregate in Academic Subjects. Lieutenant Commander (ASW) EAIK Priyadarshana was adjudged the Best Public Speaker. Meanwhile, Lieutenant Commander (Marine) WHM Karunarathna received the award for the Best Commandant’s Service Paper and the special award for the Best International Student Officer was secured by Commander S Sunil Joshi from the Indian Navy.

At the conclusion of the award ceremony, the Commander of the Navy addressed the gathering, applauding the student officers for their outstanding achievement in completing the course. He also extended his heartfelt gratitude to the directing staff whose commitment made the programme a resounding success.

To witness the achievement of the student officers as future leaders, officers from the Navy Headquarters and Eastern Naval Command, Training Captain of NMA, Captain Saliya Paranagama, directing staff and family members of the student officers were present on this occasion.