Military awards and decorations of Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Armed Forces award medals and their associated ribbon bars in recognition of various levels of service, personal accomplishments and commemorative events while a regular- or volunteer serviceperson is a member of the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Navy and the Sri Lanka Air Force. Together with military badges, such awards are a means to outwardly display the highlights of a serviceperson's career.

Medals of the Sri Lankan military displayed on a Sri Lanka Army service uniform

Gallantry decorations & medals
An Air Force serviceman in parade uniform, with medals pinned on left breast

Meritorious awards & medals

Service decorations & medals

Campaign medals
All of Sri Lanka's campaign medals (as at December 2020) center around those that were part of the Sri Lankan Civil War. As such, the campaigns took place in the North and East of the island, shown here

Coronation/Inauguration medals

Anniversary medals

United Nations Service Medals
A Sri Lankan UN peacekeeper in Carrefour, Haiti in 2010

The United Nations Medal for participation in UN peacekeeping operations:

Former decorations & medals
Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon, possessed a small standing armed force of its own. Here, Prime Minister D. S. Senanayake watches the Ceylon Light Infantry training at the Echelon Barracks in the 1950s

Transition to independence (1949 - 1956)

From its formation in 1949, the Ceylon Armed Forces continued the use of British military decorations. This was discontinued in 1956 with a suspension of nominations for British honours; until Sri Lanka's republican constitution of 1972, the following awards were used:

Colonial (pre-1948)

The following are notable medals awarded by the Colonial government or agents of the Crown that are of historic interest:

Order of precedence

The various decorations and medals are worn in the following order:[11][12][13]

SLAF officer displaying ribbon bars in order of precedence
Ribbon Award Postnominals Established
Parama Weera VibhushanayaPWV1981
Weerodara VibhushanayaWV1981
Weera Wickrama VibhushanayaWWV1981
Rana Wickrama PadakkamaRWP1981
Rana Sura PadakkamaRSP1981
Vishista Seva VibhushanayaVSV1981
Uttama Seva PadakkamaUSP1981
Videsha Seva PadakkamaVSP1981
Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services Medal-1981




Sri Lanka Army 25th Anniversary Medal[lower-alpha 1]

Sri Lanka Navy 25th Anniversary Medal[lower-alpha 1]

Sri Lanka Air Force 25th Anniversary Medal[lower-alpha 1]		-1974

1975

1976




Sri Lanka Army 50th Anniversary Medal[lower-alpha 2]

Sri Lanka Navy 50th Anniversary Medal[lower-alpha 2]

Sri Lanka Air Force 50th Anniversary Medal[lower-alpha 2]		-1999

2000

2001
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal-1953
Ceylon Armed Services Long Service Medal
(Replaced by the Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal)		-1968
Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal-1979
President's Inauguration Medal-1978
50th Independence Anniversary Commemoration Medal-1998
Desha Putra Sammanaya-1972
Sewabhimani Padakkama-2019
Sewa Padakkama-2019
Eastern Humanitarian Operations Medal-2010
Northern Humanitarian Operations Medal-2010
North and East Operations Medal-1983
Purna Bhumi Padakkama-1977
Vadamarachchi Operation Medal-1983
Riviresa Campaign Services Medal-1996


Karyakshama Seva Vibhushanaya[lower-alpha 3]
(Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force)

Prashansaniya Seva Vibhushanaya[lower-alpha 3]
(Sri Lanka Volunteer Naval Force)		KSV

PSV		1972

2000


Karyakshama Seva Padakkama[lower-alpha 4]
(Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force)

Prashansaniya Seva Padakkama[lower-alpha 4]
(Sri Lanka Volunteer Naval Force)		KSP

PSP		1972

2000
Ceylon Armed Services Inauguration Medal-1955
Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force Centenary Medal-1981
United Nations Medals-Various

See also

Notes
  1. Equivalent
  2. Equivalent
  3. Equivalent
  4. Equivalent

References
  1. "1960: Sri Lankan contribution to United Nations Peacekeeping". United Nations Sri Lanka.
  2. "West New Guinea- UNSF". United Nations Peacekeeping. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  3. "UN Medals: UNTSO". un.org. United Nations. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  4. "UN decorates 200 Sri Lankan peacekeepers - Haiti". Defence.lk. 8 November 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-09-11.
  5. "Army Contingent for UN Mission in Lebanon ready to leave". english.dailyceylon.com. Daily Ceylon. 8 February 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  6. "UN introduces new rules for SL peace keeping troops: Army awaits HRC clearance". dailymirror.lk. Daily Mirror. 27 March 2018. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  7. "Army Chief eyes bigger deployment in Mali". island.lk. The Island. 22 December 2017. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  8. "Sri Lanka Army Completes Its Commitment to UN Assignments in Mali". Sri Lanka Army. army.lk. Retrieved 27 March 2018.
  9. "Troop and police contributors". United Nations Peacekeeping. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  10. Narbeth, Colin (1971). Collecting Military Medals: A Beginner's Guide. Cambridge: The Lutterworth Press. p. 52. ISBN 0718890094. Retrieved 30 April 2018.
  11. "Medals". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  12. "Medal". navy.lk. Sri Lanka Navy. Retrieved 7 December 2020.
  13. "Decorations & Medals". airforce.lk. Sri Lanka Air Force. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
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