Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi took over as India’s 26th Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) on Tuesday, assuming the responsibility of leading the Indian navy from Admiral R. Hari Kumar, who superannuated after a 41-year long service.
A Communications and Electronic Warfare specialist, Adm. Tripathi was commissioned in the Indian Navy on 1 July 1985. He brings a wealth of experience with him to the highest office having served in various instructional, operational and administrative appointments throughout his career. Immediately before his elevation to the top post, the Admiral was briefly the Vice Chief of Naval Staff (VCNS). Prior to being VCNS, he commanded the Western Naval Command, the Navy’s sword arm.
An alumni of Sainik School Reva in Madhya Pradesh, Adm Tripathi’s family belongs to Mahudar, a small village in Satna district of Madhya Pradesh. Having joined NDA from Sainik School, he chose to opt for naval service and has since 1985, served in various capacities. Adm. Tripathi is a graduate of Defence Service Staff College, Wellington, where he was awarded the Thimmaiya Medal for being the best all-round officer. The Admiral attended the Naval Higher Command Course and Naval Command College at the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island in 2007-08, where he won the Prestigious Robert E. Bateman International Prize.
His command assignments include command of INS Vinash (Missile Vessel), INS Kirch (Missile Corvette), and INS Trishul (Guided Missile Frigate). During his command of INS Vinash, the ship was deployed extensively for patrol off the North West Coast, along the maritime boundary with Pakistan. Whilst in command of INS Kirch, he sailed his ship to foreign ports in support of IN’s ‘Look East Policy’ objectives to build ‘Bridges of Friendship’ and strengthen international cooperation.
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In addition, INS Kirch played a pivotal role during HADR operations in the coastal areas of Visakhapatnam, followed by Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, after the Tsunami of December 2004, for which he received a letter of appreciation from the then President of Sri Lanka. He was also awarded the Nao Sena Medal for contributing to these HADR operations. During his command of INS Trishul, the ship was deployed off the Gulf of Aden as part of IN’s anti-piracy operations and, subsequently, in Southern IOR for EEZ patrol of Friendly Foreign Countries Seychelles and Mauritius. His command tenures provided him the opportunity to fulfil all the four roles of the Indian Navy– military, diplomatic, constabulary, and benign. His other sea-going appointments include Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Missile Destroyer INS Mumbai and Fleet EW Officer and Fleet Communication Officer (where he took part in Op Parakram at sea).
He was also the Fleet Operations Officer (akin to the Chief of Staff to the Fleet Commander) of the Western Fleet. He completed all these ‘Fleet Staff’ tenures with command assignments, which provided him with a thorough understanding of the environment of the Indian Ocean Region. He has held various important operational and staff appointments, which include the Director of Naval Operations (DNO), Principal Director of Network Centric Operations (PDNCO), and Principal Director Naval Plans (PDNP).
As the Principal Director Network Centric Operations, he oversaw the transformation of the Indian Navy towards Net-Centric Operations. Upon being promoted to the Flag rank, the officer was appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at Naval Headquarters. The six continuous years as PDNP/ ACNS (P&P) enabled him to grasp the nuances of financial, acquisition, and infrastructure planning, force structure development, and staff requirement aspects of weapons and sensors and land/ works of the Navy, as also close interaction with DRDO, DPSUs, PSUs and industry and academia related to defence R&D and manufacturing to promote Atmanirbharta and self-reliance in the defence sector. The Flag Officer commanded the Eastern Fleet from 15 January 2018 to 30 March 2019, a period that saw significant action at sea in terms of deployment of units in the Indian Ocean Region and beyond.
At the forefront of the operational activities, the Flag Officer spearheaded the successful mission planning and execution of operational orders during the maiden Eastern Naval Command Operational Readiness Exercise (ENCORE) conducted in February 2018, during which the ships sustained at sea for over a month without any operational turnaround. Keeping up operational tempo, he displayed dynamic leadership in leading the Multinational Task Force of 20 warships, including 11 foreign warships, during the MILAN Exercise at Sea (MILES) conducted at Port Blair as part of MILAN 18 in March 2018. Under his guidance, the Fleet conducted the Tri-Services Operational Demonstration at Chennai as part of DEF-EXPO at Chennai. The Flag Officer led Eastern Fleet (EF) ships through a successful prolonged Overseas Deployment to the South China Sea and Pacific Ocean, wherein the Eastern Fleet ships visited six ports in six countries, including a maiden visit to Guam, USA, in the North Pacific. In the aftermath of the Pulwama attack, the Flag Officer was deployed in the North Arabian Sea, where his ships from the Eastern Fleet complemented the assets of Western Naval Command.
The successful completion of the Fleet Command tenure brought to an end close to two decades of cumulative Sea Service in his distinguished naval career. On promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral in June 2019, the Flag Officer was appointed as Commandant of the prestigious Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala. The Academy was awarded the President’s Colour in November 2019 by the Supreme Commander.
Thereafter, he was the Director General of Naval Operations from 29 July 2020 till 31 May 2021, during which IN units witnessed a very high tempo of naval/ maritime operations. He ensured that the Navy remained a ‘Combat Ready, Cohesive and Credible Force,’ ready to tackle security challenges in the wake of the situation on the LAC, in the Western Arabian Sea/ Gulf region, and other hot spots, despite all-round severity of COVID pandemic. Later, from June 2021 to February 2023, the Flag Officer served as the Chief of Personnel, where he was at the helm for the successful planning and implementation of the transformational human resource recruitment policy, the Agnipath Scheme.
In this appointment, he also played an instrumental role in the induction of women into the Indian Navy across all Branches and Cadres. As Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command (WNC), from 01 March 2023 till 03 January 2024, he ensured a ‘combat-ready, credible, cohesive and future-proof’ Command.
The conduct of Navy Day 2023 at Sindhudurg, including the unveiling of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaja’s statue at Rajkot Fort by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was planned and executed in close liaison with the leadership of the State Government, local administration and other agencies. The impetus to ‘key on arrival’ and other infrastructure projects were some of the administrative highlights of this period, including laying the foundation stone for a G+62 accommodation complex in South Mumbai.
Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi is a recipient of the Param Vishist Seva Medal, Ati Vishist Seva Medal and Nao Sena Medal for devotion to duty. He is a keen sportsman and avidly follows tennis, badminton, and cricket. The new Navy Chief is a student of International Relations, Military History, and the art and science of Leadership. He is married to Mrs Shashi Tripathi, an artist and homemaker.
Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi PVSM AVSM NM assumes charge of @indiannavy as 26th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). Wishing Admiral a very successful and satisfying tenure ahead.
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Sàm no varunāh @nitingokhale@BharatShaktiBSI @StratNewsGlobal @Arun_Golaya @amitabhprevi pic.twitter.com/h7TX8ET0lX— Captain DK Sharma (@CaptDKS) April 30, 2024
