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Vice Admiral AN Pramod on Saturday assumed charge as the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff (DCNS), succeeding Vice Admiral Tarun Sobti, who retired from service on July 31.
Before his appointment, Vice Admiral Pramod served as the Director General Naval Operations (DGNO) from December 13, 2023, to July 31, 2026. During his tenure, he oversaw the Navy’s operational planning, preparedness and deployment during Operation Sindoor and coordinated maritime security operations amid the continuing crisis in West Asia.
Vice Admiral Pramod emerged as one of the key military faces of Operation Sindoor, articulating the Navy’s operational posture during the India-Pakistan military standoff. At a high-profile media briefing during the operation, he underscored India’s preparedness, stating that Pakistan “knows very well what would happen if they attacked India.”
As DGNO, he was responsible for planning and overseeing the Indian Navy’s operational deployments across critical maritime theatres, ensuring high combat readiness while safeguarding India’s maritime interests during a period of heightened regional tensions.
A specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare and a CAT ‘A’ Sea King Air Operations Officer, Vice Admiral Pramod has over 36 years of service in the Indian Navy. His operational experience spans command, instructional and staff appointments at sea and ashore.
His command assignments include INS Rajput, INS Abhay, INS Shardul and the stealth frigate INS Satpura. He also served as Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet during Operation Snow Leopard following the Galwan crisis. Earlier in his career, he participated in Operation Vijay in 1999 and Operation Parakram in 2001.
Vice Admiral Pramod’s background in aviation operations, anti-submarine warfare, communications and electronic warfare has made him one of the Navy’s senior operational planners. As Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, he will play a key role in capability development, force planning and operational readiness as the Navy continues to strengthen its presence across the Indian Ocean Region amid an evolving maritime security environment.
Ravi Shankar
Dr Ravi Shankar has over two decades of experience in communications, print journalism, electronic media, documentary film making and new media.
He makes regular appearances on national television news channels as a commentator and analyst on current and political affairs. Apart from being an acknowledged Journalist, he has been a passionate newsroom manager bringing a wide range of journalistic experience from past associations with India’s leading media conglomerates (Times of India group and India Today group) and had led global news-gathering operations at world’s biggest multimedia news agency- ANI-Reuters. He has covered Parliament extensively over the past several years. Widely traveled, he has covered several summits as part of media delegation accompanying the Indian President, Vice President, Prime Minister, External Affairs Minister and Finance Minister across Asia, Africa and Europe.
