Rodrigo joined the
Sri Lanka Army as an officer cadet on 20 January 1989 under Regular Intake - 31. Upon successfully completing officer cadet training in the
Sri Lanka Military Academy and in the
Indian Military Academy, he was commissioned as a
second lieutenant into the
Sri Lanka Artillery in 1991. During his long army career, Rodrigo served as an instructor at the Army Training School, GSO - 2 (Intelligence/Security) at the directorate of operations of the army headquarters, GSO - 2 (Operations) at the headquarters of the
53 Division, GSO - 1 (Operations) of
22 Division. He also served as the commanding officer of 18 Field Regiment Artillery. He commanded the 663 and the 661 infantry brigades, the
66 Division, the
Defence Services Command and Staff College,
Security Forces Headquarters - Central and the
Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force. He completed the basic officer cadet course from the
Sri Lanka Military Academy,
Diyatalawa and the platoon commanders course at
Maduru Oya. He underwent several courses in India and Pakistan including 'Officer Cadet Course' in
Indian Military Academy,
Dehradun, India, 'Artillery Young Officers Course' in India and 'Officers Locating Course' in Pakistan. He holds Masters of Arts in strategic security studies from the
National Defense University of the United States and also Masters of Science in security and strategic studies from the
General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University of Sri Lanka. He is a graduate of the
Defence Services Command and Staff College, Sri Lanka. == References ==