Sampath Thuyacontha named new Secretary of Defence for Sri Lanka

Air Vice Marshal (Retired) Sampath Thuyacontha has been appointed as the new Secretary of Defence of Sri Lanka.

He bid farewell to the Sri Lanka Air Force on November 26, 2021, after more than 33 years of dedicated service to the nation.

At the time of his retirement, he held the position of Director of Training for the Sri Lanka Air Force.

Born in Colombo on November 26, 1966, Air Vice Marshal Thuyacontha is a proud alumnus of Thurstan College, Colombo, where he excelled in rugby during his school days.

He represented the Thurstan College 1st XV Rugby Team and was selected to represent the Colombo Schools Rugby Team in 1986. He was also awarded School Rugby Colors in the same year.

He joined the Sri Lanka Air Force as an Officer Cadet in the 19th Intake on May 17, 1988, and was commissioned as a Pilot Officer in the General Duties Pilot Branch in 1990.

During his training, he successfully completed the Basic Combat Training, Basic Flying Training, and both Basic and Advanced Helicopter Training courses.

Upon completion of his training in 1990, he was deployed as an operational pilot on Bell 212/412 helicopters.

In 2001, he was posted to the No. 9 Attack Helicopter Squadron at Sri Lanka Air Force Base Hingurakgoda as the Second in Command and was later appointed Commanding Officer in 2005.

Throughout his career, he participated in all major operations, including the Humanitarian War to liberate the North and East, logging over 7,000 flying hours as an Operations, VIP, and Attack Helicopter Pilot in the Sri Lanka Air Force.

Air Vice Marshal Thuyacontha also served as the Defence Adviser to the Sri Lankan High Commission in Islamabad, Pakistan, for two years, and as Chief Instructor at the Defence Services Command and Staff College in 2014.

For his acts of gallantry and bravery during the Humanitarian Operations, he has been decorated multiple times with the Weera Wickrama Vibhushanaya (WWV), Rana Wickrama Padakkama (RWP), and Rana Sura Padakkama (RSP).