Who is Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh, the New Chief of Personnel of the Indian Navy?
Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh, AVSM, NM, assumed office as the Chief of Personnel of the Indian Navy on Saturday.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (Khadakwasla), Vice Admiral Singh was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1990.
A specialist in gunnery and missiles, he has held several key appointments both afloat and ashore. He has served onboard Indian Naval Ships Ranjit and Prahar and was part of the commissioning crew of three indigenously built 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.
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Vice Admiral Singh has served as an instructor at INS Dronacharya (Gunnery School) and as Deputy Commandant of the Naval War College, Goa. His staff appointments include Assistant Chief of Personnel (HRD), tenures in the Directorate of Naval Intelligence at NHQ, and the Indian Naval Work-up Team.
He took over as Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet in November 2022, maintaining a high tempo of operational preparedness with a focus on the mission of ‘Ordnance on Target.’
Promoted to Vice Admiral in January 2024, he was appointed Controller Personnel Services, where he initiated measures to improve working conditions for naval personnel and the community. Before taking charge as Chief of Personnel, he served as Commandant, National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla.
He received the Admiral Katari Trophy for standing first in overall order of merit during training. Under his command, INS Khukri received the Chief of Naval Staff’s ‘Unit Citation’ in 2011 for operational excellence and successful anti-piracy missions. He has also been awarded the FOC-in-C Commendation (2002), Nausena Medal (2020), and Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (2024).
Vice Admiral Singh holds MSc and MPhil degrees in Defence and Strategic Studies. He has completed the Staff Course at DSSC Wellington, Higher Command at the Naval War College, and NDC courses in India, besides attending the Maritime Intelligence Course at the National Intelligence University, Washington, and the UN Staff Officers Course at Stockholm, Sweden.
Defence