Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces

The Commander-in-Chief of the Sri Lankan Armed Forces (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා සන්නද්ධ හමුදාවේ සේනාධිනායක, romanized: śrī laṁkā sannaddha hamudāvē sēnādhināyaka) is the ultimate commanding authority of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces, an executive role vested in the President of Sri Lanka.

[1] As head of state, the president of Sri Lanka, is nominally the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

The ministry and the armed forces have been controlled by the during these periods by either a minister of state, deputy minister for defence, and of recently the permanent secretary to the Ministry of Defence.

Prior to 1978 the prime minister held the portfolio of minister of defence and external affairs, and was supported by a parliamentary secretary for defence and external affairs.

The JOC is headed by the chief of the defence staff who is the most senior officer in the Armed Forces and is an appointment that can be held by an air chief marshal, admiral, or general.