Flying our flag high!
Our very own KHS past pupil, 26 year old Flying Officer Monali Samarakoon has the distinction of being the SLAF CBRNE’s first and only female Officer.
The Sri Lanka Air Force has an elite team which, even in times of relative peace, is still dealing in life threatening and dangerous work. This is the SLAF’s CBRNE Wing. The acronym stands for Chemical, Biological, Radioactive, Nuclear and Explosive – the ingredients for calculated terror attacks. It is a ‘fully trained and response-ready’ squadron.
To quote CBRNE’s Wing Commander – “We perform a unique role as first responders to CBRNE threats. Our wing consists of expert officers and airmen who combine various military skills. About 70 percent of the team consists of EOD (explosive ordnance disposal) staff. The other specialists are armament crews who are very familiar with explosives, aircraft technicians who can quickly identify aircraft parts, Special Forces, crews specialised in DG (dangerous cargo), supply branch staff and firemen. All team members have been systematically trained for two and a half years. We are the first military unit to have females (officers and airwomen) working in a CBRNE response team.”
And our very own KHS past pupil, 26 year old Flying Officer Monali Samarakoon has the distinction of being the SLAF CBRNE’s first and only female Officer.
What pride and honour you bring to your alma mater, Monali. May you continue safely to do your duty to our nation!
