INDIA. MUMBAI: Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru took over the charge as Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff (DCNS) from Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh, who retired after over 38 years of service on March 31, Thursday.
Vice Admiral Sanjay Mahindru attended Khadakvasla’s National Defence Academy. On January 1, 1985, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy as a Submarine and Navigation Specialist. In his 37-year career, he has held a variety of Command and Staff positions both ashore and afloat. He has commanded the Type 1500 Shishumar Class submarine INS Shalki, the Cadets Training Ship INS Krishna, and the Destroyer INS Rajput.
He also commanded INS Satavahana, the Navy’s Submarine Training Establishment (in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh), where he established the School of Advanced Underwater Warfare. He worked in the Directorate of Submarine Operations and the Directorate of Nuclear Submarine Acquisition at the Ministry of Defence’s Integrated Headquarters (IHQ) (Navy). He also served as Naval Assistant to FOC-in-C (West) and FOC-in-C (East) (South).
Following his promotion to Rear Admiral in 2015, he served as Flag Officer Submarines, Flag Officer Maharashtra Area, and Chief Staff Officer at the Strategic Forces Command’s Headquarters (HQSFC). After being promoted to Vice-Admiral in 2019, he served as Deputy Commanding-in-Chief of the Strategic Forces Command before taking over as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff at IHQ MoD. (N).
He has attended the Joint Services Staff College, UK, and the College of Naval Warfare Mumbai and has a MA (Defence Studies) from Kings College, London, and M Phil (Defence Studies) from Mumbai University.
Outgoing Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh, during his tenure as DCNS, witnessed several significant achievements that have elevated India’s global maritime stature and are a testimony of his resolve, professional competence, and dedication. These include the high tempo operations to ensure safe passage of Indian Flagged Merchant Vessels (IMFVs), Operation Samudra Setu II, Operation Sagar, and establishing India’s position as ‘preferred security partner and first responder’ in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Vice Admiral Ajay Kochar takes over as the Commandant, NDA
In another development, Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar took over the charge as the Commandant, National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla in Maharashtra, from Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor, on Friday.
Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, an NDA alumnus, was commissioned in the Indian Navy on July 1, 1988. He attended the Defence Staff College in Wellington, the Naval War College in Karanja (near Mumbai), and the Royal College of Defence Studies in the United Kingdom.
Throughout his 34-year career, the Flag Officer held various essential and challenging command and staff positions. He served as the Fleet Commander of the Indian Navy’s Western Fleet. He led the fleet on critical operational missions, foreign bilateral exercises, and significant Humanitarian Assistance Disaster Relief (HADR) tasking. He commended India’s only aircraft carrier, INS Vikramaditya, and the airline was extensively deployed for operations on both the East and West coasts during his tenure. The officer has the distinction of commissioning a frontline frigate for the Russian Navy in Kaliningrad. During Operation Parakram, he also commanded the INS Kirpan, a missile Corvette, and missile vessels.
He worked at the Integrated Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence (Navy) as the Joint Director, Naval Plans, and Director of Staff Requirements. He developed the Indian Navy’s future maritime perspective and capability enhancement plans.
Now that he is at the helm of affairs, NDA will gain immensely with his vast experience and exposure in operations, training, and human resource management, an official statement said.
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