In Pictures: Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar takes charge as 48th Vice Chief of Navy

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, who drove high-level naval combat readiness during Operation Sindoor, assumed charge as the 48th Vice Chief of the Indian Navy on Friday (Source: Photo by PTI)

Before taking the helm as the Navy's second-in-command, the officer served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), India's first and only integrated tri-services theatre command guarding strategic waters (Source: Photo by PTI)

Earlier, as the Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command, he was instrumental in executing the Navy's aggressive forward deployment of critical assets as part of Operation Sindoor (Source: Photo by PTI)

Vice Admiral Kochhar succeeds Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, who has been appointed as the next chief of the Western Naval Command (Source: Photo by PTI)

An alumnus of the prestigious National Defence Academy, Pune, Vice Admiral Kochhar was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1988 (Source: Photo by PTI)

A specialist in gunnery and missile systems, he has held a wide range of command, operational, and staff assignments over his distinguished career spanning more than 37 years (Source: Photo by PTI)

He has commanded warships Nashak, Vibhuti, and Kirpan, and was the commissioning commanding officer of the frigate Trikand. The Flag Officer has also commanded the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (Source: Photo by PTI)

On promotion to Flag rank in 2018, he served as the assistant controller of Carrier Projects and assistant controller of Warship Production and Acquisition (Source: Photo by PTI)

The Flag Officer assumed charge as Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command on May 25, 2024, amidst a challenging security situation in the Western maritime theatre (Source: Photo by PTI)

For his leadership and meritorious service, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022 and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal in 2026 (Source: Photo by PTI)