Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan was named the next Chief of the Naval Staff on Saturday, succeeding Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, who will retire on May 31.Currently serving as the 34th Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western Naval Command, Vice Admiral Swaminathan took charge on July 31 last year.
Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, he is a specialist in communication and electronic warfare. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakvasla; Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham (UK); College of Naval Warfare, Karanja; and the US Naval War College, Newport.A highly decorated officer, he has been awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal, Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal. Over his naval career, he has held several important operational, staff and training appointments.His command assignments include the missile vessels INS Vidyut and INS Vinash, missile corvette INS Kulish, guided missile destroyer INS Mysore, and aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.After being promoted to Rear Admiral, he served as Chief Staff Officer (Training) at Headquarters, Southern Naval Command in Kochi, where he played a key role in overseeing training across the Indian Navy. He was also instrumental in raising the Indian Naval Safety Team, which supervises operational safety across all branches of the Navy.He later headed the Navy’s Work Up Organisation as Flag Officer Sea Training before being appointed Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet. After commanding the “Sword Arm” of the Navy, he went on to serve as Flag Officer, Offshore Defence Advisory Group, and Adviser, Offshore Security and Defence, to the Government of India.On promotion to Vice Admiral, he served as Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command, Controller of Personnel Services, and Chief of Personnel at Naval Headquarters. Before assuming his current assignment, he was Vice Chief of the Naval Staff at Naval Headquarters.Vice Admiral Swaminathan holds a BSc degree from Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi; an MSc in Telecommunications from Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi; an MA in Defence Studies from King’s College London; an MPhil in Strategic Studies from Mumbai University; and a PhD in International Studies from Mumbai University.2026 will see major changes across the armed forces as after the CDS and the navy chief. This year will also see a new army chief take over in July, a new air force chief and defence secretary in November.
