Admiral Prof. Jayanath Colombage (PhD) assumed duties as the Secretary to the Foreign Ministry today (14 August) following the appointment to the position by President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The new Foreign Secretary Admiral Colombage was warmly received by the senior officials of the Foreign Ministry this morning, upon arrival at the Ministry.
Admiral Colombage was previously Additional Secretary to H.E the President for Foreign Relations since December 2019. In addition, he is presently serving as the Director General of the Institute of National Security Studies Sri Lanka. Admiral Colombage has served the Sri Lanka Navy for a period of 36 years and retired as the Commander of the Navy on 01 July 2014. He is the 18th Commander of the Sri Lanka Navy and was decorated for gallantry and commended for exceptional service to the Navy. Upon retirement from the Navy, Admiral Colombage served as the Director for Indo-Sri Lanka Initiatives and Law of the Sea Centers at the Pathfinder Foundation, which is a premier think tank and research centre, based in Colombo. He has represented the Pathfinder Foundation and Sri Lanka in many bi-lateral, regional and international fora, presenting papers, participating in panel discussions and chairing sessions on international politics, strategic and maritime security related fields.
Admiral Colombage has been a guest lecturer in universities and training institutes in Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, China, India, Japan and Pakistan. He has also been an editor and reviewer of a number of internationally renowned academic journals. Foreign Secretary Admiral Colombage holds a PhD from General Sir John Kotalawela University, Master of Science in Defence and Strategic Studies from Madras University and Master of Arts in International Studies from King's College, London. His PhD thesis “Asymmetric Warfare at Sea; the case of Sri Lanka” has been published by Lambert Academic Publishing in Germany. He is also a fellow of Nautical Institute of London.
Foreign Ministry, Colombo, 14 August 2020