Air Vice Marshal Manoaj Keppetipola was appointed as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force, effective from 02nd April 2025. The Commander of the Air Force, Air Marshal Bandu Edirisinghe, officially handed over the letter of appointment to Air Vice Marshal Manoaj Keppetipola at the Air Force Headquarters and conveyed his best wishes to the newly appointed Deputy Chief of Staff.

Air Vice Marshal Keppetipola joined the Sri Lanka Air Force as an Officer Cadet of the 8th Intake of General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University, Ratmalana on 03rd November 1990.

He successfully completed Basic Combat Training, Basic Administration, and Advanced Administration from the Ground Combat and Recruit Training Unit at Diyatalawa in 1992. He pursued undergraduate studies in Bachelor of Arts in Defence Studies at Kotelawala Defence University, securing a second-class upper pass and becoming the “Best Overall Student in Non-Technical Stream,” before assuming duties as a Commissioned Officer in the Branch of Administrative on 14 November 1992.

In his pursuit of a military career, he attended the No. 4 Junior Command course at Staff College in 2002 and followed the No. 202 Junior Command and Staff Course at the Air Force Administrative College in Coimbatore, India in 2001. He attended Course No. 5 at the Defence Services Command and Staff College (DSCSC), Sapugakanda in 2011. In 2002, he was assigned as the Director Academic Studies (DAS) at the SLAF Academy China Bay and completed four successful years as a Directing Staff – Air at the DSCSC Sapugakanda from 2014 to 2017. He was selected to follow the National Security and War Course at the National Defence University, Islamabad, Pakistan in 2020, securing “NSWC” and gaining eligibility to use the post-nominal credential “ndc.” He served as the inaugural Air-Senior Directing Staff at the National Defence College of Sri Lanka.

Air Vice Marshal Keppetipola holds a National Diploma in Human Resource Management from the Institute of Personnel Management and is a Certified HR Auditor. He has a master’s in business administration from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Jayewardenepura, a Master in Defence Studies from the University of Kelaniya, and a Master in National Security and War Studies from the National Defence University Islamabad, Pakistan. He is currently pursuing a PhD from the Postgraduate Institute of Management, University of Jayewardenepura.

He has engaged in all three pillars necessary for a “Complete Officer,” namely Command, Staff, and Training. He has held staff appointments, including Staff Officer-Discip 1, Staff Officer Command P1, and Staff Officer Command Organization at Air Force HQ. He commanded Air Force Station Weerawila from 2019-2020 during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic period, adding significant experience to all three pillars.

As a visiting lecturer, he shares his knowledge at the National Defence College, Chartered Institute of Personnel Management, University of Colombo, Kelaniya, and Sri Jayewardenepura. He is a Chartered Fellow member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Management and a Fellow member of the Sri Lanka Institute of Training and Development. He won the National HR Excellence Award in Training and Development in 2012. In recognition of his distinguished commitment to the Sri Lanka Air Force, Air Vice Marshal Keppetipola was commended by the Commander of the Air Force in 2010 while serving as a Wing Commander.

He subsequently held the appointment of Deputy Director Administration in 2022-23 and Director General Administration in 2023-25 before assuming the duties as the Deputy Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Air Force.

AIR VICE MARSHAL MANOAJ KEPPETIPOLA WAS APPOINTED AS THE DEPUTY CHIEF OF STAFF OF THE SRI LANKA AIR FORCE

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