[1] After completing his schooling, he joined the Ceylon Army as an officer cadet on 27 February 1953.
He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 1st Anti Aircraft Regiment, Ceylon Artillery following his training at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst on 3 February 1955 and was stationed in Trincomalie where he served as a troop and battery commander and attended the young officers course at the Royal School of Artillery.
He was serving as general staff officer I (Operations) at Army Headquarters when the 1971 JVP Insurrection started on 5 April 1971, with a premature insurgent attack on the police station in Wellawaya at dawn.
That morning Major Silva accompanied by DIG Rudra Rajasingham flew by helicopter to Wellawaya to inspect the ground situation.
[1][3] His brother was Vice Admiral Hikkaduwage Ananda Silva, became the 11th Commander of the Sri Lankan Navy.