Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan took charge as the Vice Chief of the Indian Navy on Friday. He hails from Hiranagar village in Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, and is a second-generation armed forces officer in his family.
He succeeds Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, who is now the Western Navy Commander in Mumbai. The Western Command is considered the Navy’s main combat force. Vice Admiral Swaminathan replaced Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh on Thursday.
After taking charge, Vice Admiral Vatsayan paid tribute at the National War Memorial. A specialist in gunnery and missile systems, he has held several important command and operational roles.
During his career, he served on many frontline warships, including as a commissioning crew member of INS Mysore. He has commanded Coast Guard ship C-05 and Navy ships INS Vibhuti, INS Nashak, INS Kuthar, and was the first commanding officer of INS Sahyadri.
In February 2020, he led the Navy’s Eastern Fleet as Flag Officer Commanding, during a critical period after the Galwan clash with China in Eastern Ladakh.
An alumnus of Defence Services Staff College (Wellington), Naval War College (Goa), and National Defence College (New Delhi), he has also served as Principal Director Naval Plans, Assistant Chief of Naval Staff, and Deputy Commandant of NDA Khadakwasla.
Before this appointment, he was the Deputy Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (Operations).
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