The government has appointed Vice Admiral Karambir Singh as the next Chief of the Naval Staff. He is currently the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Eastern Naval Command.
Vice Admiral Singh will take over as the 24th Navy Chief from Admiral Sunil Lanba who is set to retire on 31 May after completing three years in office, the Defence Ministry said.
Born on 3 November 1959, Vice Admiral Singh was commissioned on 1 July, 1980 into the executive branch of the Indian Navy. During his long and distinguished service spanning nearly 39 years, he has served in a variety of Command, Staff and Instructional appointments.
Vice Admiral Singh’s Sea Command includes Guided Missile Destroyers INS Rana and INS Delhi. He also served as Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet and was Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat area.
Before taking over as FOC-in-C Eastern Naval Command in October 2017, he was Director General Project Seabird, Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.
Vice Admiral Singh is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. He has been decorated with the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM).