New Delhi, May 24 (UNI) Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh on Saturday assumed the charge of Commandant, National Defence Academy.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (Khadakwasla) and commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1990, he has held several appointments, both afloat and ashore, an official statement said.
As a specialist in Gunnery and Missiles, he has served onboard Indian Naval Ships Ranjit and Prahar.
He also 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. He has been an instructor at INS Dronacharya (Gunnery School) and the Deputy Commandant of Naval War College, Goa.
His staff tenures include appointments at Directorate of Personnel NHQ, as the Assistant Chief of Personnel (HRD), Directorate of Naval Intelligence NHQ and Indian Naval Work-up Team.
On 29 November 2022, he took over as the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet and 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, the flag Officer was appointed as Controller Personnel Service wherein various initiatives were undertaken to improve working condition of personnel and naval community.
He was awarded the Admiral Katarı Trophy for standing ‘First in Overall Order of Merit of his batch during ab initio training.
Under his command, INS Khukri was awarded the Chief of Naval Staff ‘Unit Citation’ in December 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).
With Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh at the helm of affairs, the National Defence Academy will gain immensely from his vast experience and exposure in all arenas of operations, training, and human resource management.
