Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh takes charge as Commandant of NDA

Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh holds the distinction of being part of the commissioning crew of three Indian constructed warships, INS Brahmaputra as gunnery officer, INS Shivalik as executive officer, and INS Kochi as commanding officer.

(right) Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh; (left) Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar

Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh assumed charge as Commandant of National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, on Saturday from Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar.

An alumnus of the NDA, Singh was commissioned into Indian Navy in Jul 1990. The Flag Officer has held several appointments, both afloat and ashore. As a specialist in gunnery and missiles, he has served onboard Indian Naval Ships Ranjit and Prahar. He holds the distinction of being part of the commissioning crew of three Indian constructed warships, INS Brahmaputra as gunnery officer, INS Shivalik as executive officer, and INS Kochi as commanding officer.

He has also commanded INS Vidyut and INS Khukri, and served as instructor at INS Dronacharya (Gunnery School) and deputy commandant of Naval War College, Goa. His staff tenures include appointments at Directorate of Personnel, as the assistant chief of personnel (HRD), Directorate of Naval Intelligence.

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In Nov 2022, he took over as flag officer commanding Eastern Fleet. During this tenure, the fleet maintained high tempo of operational preparedness with a laser sharp focus on the mission of ‘Ordnance on Target’. On elevation to the rank of vice admiral in Jan 2024, the flag officer was appointed as controller personnel service wherein various initiatives were undertaken to improve working condition of personnel and naval community.

Under his command, INS Khukri was awarded the chief of naval staff ‘Unit Citation’ in Dec 2011 for overall operational effectiveness and successful conduct of anti-piracy operations. He has also been awarded the FOC-in-C Commendation (2002), the Nao Sena Medal (2020), and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2024).

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