Ajay Kochhar

• Andaman and Nicobar Command
• National Defence Academy
• Western Fleet
• INS Vikramaditya (R33)
• INS Trikand (F51)

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar AVSM NM
Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 October 2025
Service number	03326-H [1]
Awards	Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Nao Sena Medal

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, AVSM, NM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command. ^{[2] [3]} His flag appointments include Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command, Commandant of the National Defence Academy and Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet. ^{[4] [5]}

He was the third commanding officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (R33) and the commissioning commanding officer of the Talwar-class frigate INS Trikand (F51).

Naval career

Kochhar was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1988. He is a specialist in Gunnery and Missile Warfare. He has commanded five warships of the Indian Navy. ^[6] On 29 June 2013, as the commissioning commanding officer of the Talwar-class stealth guided missile frigate INS Trikand (F51), he commissioned the ship in Kaliningrad, Russia. ^[7] On 20 July 2017, Kochhar took command of the flagship of the Indian Navy, the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (R33) as its third commanding officer. ^[8]

Flag rank

On promotion to Flag rank, Kochhar took over as the Assistant Controller Carrier Project (ACCP) at Naval headquarters. He then served as the Assistant Controller Warship Production & Acquisition (ACWP&A). ^[9] As the ACCP, he managed the construction of the indigenous aircraft carrier. In his role as ACWP&A, he oversaw all aspects related to construction and acquisition of warships for the Navy both from Indian as well as foreign shipyards. ^[10]

Kochhar took over as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet on 24 February 2021 from Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan. ^[10] He was in command of the Western Fleet till 27 December 2021. He handed over command to Rear Admiral Sameer Saxena and was appointed Project Director (Operations and Training) of the Advanced Technology Vessel Project (ATVP). ^[11] For his command of the Western fleet, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2022. ^[12]

After a short stint at ATVP HQ, Kochhar was promoted to rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Commandant of the National Defence Academy. On 1 April 2022, he took over from Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor. ^[13] After a two-year stint, he assumed the charge as the Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command on 25 May 2024 succeeding Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla. ^[14] On 1 October 2025, he took over as the Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command from Lieutenant General Dinesh Singh Rana who moved as Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command. ^{[2] [15]}

Awards and decorations

For his exemplary dedication, the flag officer has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2022 ^[16] and the Nao Sena Medal.

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal	Nao Sena Medal	Samanya Seva Medal	Operation Vijay Star
Operation Vijay Medal	Operation Parakram Medal	Sainya Seva Medal	75th Independence Anniversary Medal
50th Independence Anniversary Medal	30 Years Long Service Medal	20 Years Long Service Medal	9 Years Long Service Medal

See also

• Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet
• Western Fleet
• INS Vikramaditya

References

1. https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1792624
2. "Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar assumes charge of Andaman & Nicobar Command". www.ptinews.com. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
3. "VAdm Ajay Kocchar Appoint as CinC Andaman and Nicobar Command". X(former Twitter). Retrieved 1 October 2025.
4. "Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar assumes charge as WNC's chief of staff". The Times of India. 28 May 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 1 October 2025.
5. "Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar is new NDA Commandant". The Indian Express. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2025.
6. "REAR ADMIRAL AJAY KOCHHAR ASSUMES COMMAND OF THE WESTERN FLEET (FOCWF)". pib.gov.in.
7. "INS Trikand, a Stealth Frigate joins Indian Navy | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
8. Twitter https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/854873877222014978.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
9. "Image Gallery". www.grse.in.
10. "Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar Assumes Command of The Western Fleet (FOCWF) | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in.
11. "CHANGE OF COMMAND OF WESTERN FLEET". pib.gov.in. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
12. "PRESS RELEASE - DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS TO INDIAN NAVY PERSONNEL ON REPUBLIC DAY". www.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
13. "CHANGE AT THE HELM : VICE ADMIRAL AJAY KOCHHAR, AVSM, NM ASSUMES THE APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDANT NATIONAL DEFENCE ACDAEMY (sic)". pib.gov.in. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
14. "Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar assumes charge as WNC's chief of staff". The Times of India. 28 May 2024. ISSN   0971-8257 . Retrieved 1 October 2025.
15. "VAdm Ajay Kocchar Appoint as CinC Andaman and Nicobar Command". X(former Twitter). Retrieved 1 October 2025.
16. "PRESS RELEASE - DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS TO INDIAN NAVY PERSONNEL ON REPUBLIC DAY". www.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 26 January 2022.

Military offices
Preceded by Krishna Swaminathan	Commanding Officer INS Vikramaditya 2017 - 2018	Succeeded by Puruvir Das
	Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet 2021 - 2021	Succeeded by Sameer Saxena
Preceded by Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor	Commandant National Defence Academy 2022 - 2024	Succeeded by Vice Admiral Gurcharan Singh
Preceded by Sanjay Bhalla	Chief of Staff Western Naval Command 25 May 2024 - 30 September 2025	Succeeded by Rahul Vilas Gokhale
Preceded by Dinesh Singh Rana	Commander-in-Chief Andaman and Nicobar Command 1 October 2025 - Present	Incumbent