Marshal of the Air Force W. D. M. J. Roshan Goonetileke, RWP and bar, VSV, USP is a senior officer of the Sri Lanka Air Force. The current Governor of the Western Province.
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Born to Air Chief Marshal Harry Goonatilake, he joined the Sri Lanka Air Force along with his younger brother Shirantha Goonatilake, who was later killed in action in 1995. Goonatilake served as a pilot in both fixed and rotary wing aircraft, flying operational sorties and served as the commanding officer of No. 03 Maritime Squadron and No. 04 Helicopter Wing. His higher commands included Zonal Commander and SLAF Base commander stints, Director Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Chief of Staff, before appointment as Commander of the Sri Lankan Air Force in 2007, serving till 2012. He was appointed Chief of the Defence Staff in 2009 in an acting capacity which was confirmed in 2012 and he step down 2013, retiring from the Air Force. He was restored to active service in 2019, when he became the first to be appointed to the rank of Marshal of the Sri Lanka Air Force.
Born on 28 February 1956, to Harry Goonatilake and Marian Perera, he had a younger brother Shirantha and two sisters. Goonatilake completed his education at St Peter's College, Colombo, where he excelled in both studies and sports.
He followed his father by joining the Sri Lanka Air Force as an Officer Cadet in the General Duties Pilot Branch on 13 January 1978. On successful completion of flying training, he was commissioned in the rank of Pilot Officer on 24 August 1979. Having logged many flying hours both in fixed and rotary wing aircraft serving as an operational pilot, he served as the Commanding Officer of No. 03 Maritime Squadron and No. 04 Helicopter Wing. He functioned as the Zonal Commander in both Northern and Eastern Zones, and commanded Air Force Bases Katunayake, Anuradhapura and China Bay. Goonetileke graduated from the Air Command and Staff College, Air University in 1994 and attended National Defence College in Pakistan in 2001. He functioned as Director Operations, Deputy Chief of Staff Operations and Chief of Staff, prior to being appointed the Commander of the Air Force on 12 July 2007. On 18 May 2009, he was promoted Air Chief Marshal, becoming the first ever serving officer of the Sri Lanka Air Force to be promoted to four star rank.
He was appointed as Acting Chief of Defence Staff on 16 November 2009 and was confirmed as Chief of Defence Staff on 28 February 2012 upon relinquishing Command of the Sri Lanka Air Force. He was appointed Chairman Board of Management of Civil Aviation Authority of Sri Lanka (CAA of SL) with effect from 5 October 2009 until relinquishing duties on 28 December 2011. He was also appointed as Chairman of Waters Edge Ltd, a government-owned, multi-facility recreational and hospitality complex.
Goonetileke was promoted to the honorary rank of Marshal of the Air Force by President Maithripala Sirisena on 19 September 2019 for his service as the Commander of the Air Force during the final stage of the Sri Lankan Civil War. He is the first and to-date the only person to hold the rank and third person to be appointed to a Five star rank in Sri Lanka. On promotion to the newly created rank, he was a restored to active service. The appointment coincided with the promotion of Admiral Wasantha Karannagoda to the newly created rank of Admiral of the Fleet. Both promotions had been heavily lobbied for following the promotion of the General Sarath Fonseka to the newly created rank of Field Marshal in 2015.[2]
Goonetileke is married to Mrs. Nelun Goonetileke. They have a son and a daughter, Rehan and Ronali. Rehan, followed the family tradition of joining the Sri Lanka Air Force as a pilot officer. An avid sportsman, Goonetileke was heavily involved in the development of Sri Lanka Rugby, as the President of the Sri Lanka Rugby Football Union, serving two successful terms from 1 June 2010 to 11 January 2012.
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