Flight Lieutenant Lakshika Attale and Corporal Amarasena DSNK departed Sri Lanka on 4 January 2019 as the first Sri Lankan women to attend the All Arms Basic Drill Course at the British Army School of Ceremonial in Catterick, North Yorkshire.

During their time in Catterick, the officer and the airwoman learnt how to perform drill and how to teach it. After they return to Sri Lanka they will be expected to give lessons within the SLAF and share the expertise they have gathered during the training in the United Kingdom.

Flight Lieutenant Attale joined the General Sir John Kotelawala Defence University in the year 2011 and was commissioned in the SLAF in 2013 as an Administrative Regiment Officer. She is presently serving at the No 45 VIP Wing at Air Force Headquarters. Flight Lieutenant Attale is an Explosive Ordnance Disposal Qualified Officer and has also completed the Special Airborne Force Training.

Corporal Amarasena joined the SLAF in the year 2007 as an Operations Ground Tradeswoman. She has undergone the Gunner Instructors Training and the Drill Instructors Training conducted at the SLAF Combat Training School in Diyatalawa. She presently serves as a Drill Instructor at the SLAF Trade Training School in Ekala.

Flight Lieutenant Attale and Corporal Amarasena are due to return to Sri Lanka today on completion of the training in the United Kingdom.