Vice Adm Karambir Singh to be next Navy Chief

New Delhi: Vice Adm Karambir Singh will be the next Chief of Indian Navy. He will take over as the Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS) on May 31, 2019 when Admiral Sunil Lanba superannuates.

Announcing his appointment on Saturday, the government said Vice Adm Karambir Singh will be the first helicopter pilot of the Indian Navy to become the CNS. He has been serving the Indian Navy for close to four decades now.

He is currently the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Eastern Naval Command (ENC), situated in Visakhapatnam.

He has commanded Indian Coast Guard Ship Chandbibi, Missile Corvette INS Vijaydurg as well as two Guided Missile Destroyers INS Rana and INS Delhi. He has also served as the Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet.

Interestingly, the government chose to appoint Vice Admiral Karambir by superseding Vice Admiral Bimal Verma, who heads Tri-Services Andaman and Nicobar Command. Vice Admiral Verma was on the radar during the infamous Navy War Room leak case that rocked the nation in 2005.

It is now clear that the government has gone by the ‘merit route’ rather than the ‘seniority channel’ in selecting the next CNS. The NDA government had earlier took the ‘merit route’ while appointing General Bipin Rawat as the Army Chief in 2016.

Vice Admiral Ajith Kumar, currently the FOC-in-C, Western Naval Command, too was among the probable senior officials being considered for the post of next CNS. Vice Admiral Ajith had taken over the reins of WNC on January 31, 2019.

Helicopter pilot

Vice Adm Singh is a native of Jalandhar Punjab and graduated from Barnes School, Deolali Maharashtra before joining the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.

He was commissioned into the Indian Navy in July 1980 and later earned his wings as a helicopter pilot in 1982. He has extensively flown the Chetak and the Kamov helicopters.

He is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai and has later served as Directing Staff in both these Institutions.

On shore duties, Vice Admiral Singh has served at Naval Headquarters as the Joint Director Naval Air Staff, and as Captain Air and Officer-in-Charge of the Naval Air Station at Mumbai.

He has also served as a member of the Aircrew Instrument Rating and Categorisation Board (AIRCATS). On promotion to flag rank, he was appointed as Chief of Staff, ENC.

He has also served as the Chief of Staff of the Tri-Services Command at Andaman & Nicobar Islands and as the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area (FOMAG).

In the rank of Vice Admiral, he has been the Director General Project Seabird, in-charge of infrastructure development of the Navy’s modern base at Karwar in Karnataka.

He was also assigned higher responsibilities as Deputy Chief of Naval Staff and Vice Chief of the Naval Staff at IHQ MoD (Navy) and as FOC-in-C, ENC, since October 31, 2017.

He is the recipient of the Param Vishist Seva Medial and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal.