Ajay Kochhar

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Ajay Kochhar

AVSM, NM
VAdm Ajay Kochhar, AVSM, NM.jpg
AllegianceFlag of India.svg  India
Service/branchNaval Ensign of India.svg  Indian Navy
Years of service1988 - present
Rank British Royal Navy (sleeves) OF-8.svg 13-Indian Navy-VADM.svg Vice Admiral
Commands held National Defence Academy
Western Fleet
INS Vikramaditya (R33)
INS Trikand (F51)
Awards Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
Nao Sena Medal ribbon.svg Nao Sena Medal

Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, AVSM, NM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command. He last served as the as the Commandant of the National Defence Academy. He earlier served as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet and prior to that was the third commanding officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.

Contents

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. [1] 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. [2]

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. [3]

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). [4] 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. [5]

Kochhar took command of the Western Fleet on 24 February 2021 as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet from Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan. [5] For his command of the Western fleet, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2022. [6]

On 1 April 2022, Kochhar took over as the Commandant of the National Defence Academy from Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor. [7] After a two-year stint, he was appointed Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command. [8]

Awards and decorations

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal ribbon.svg Nao Sena Medal ribbon.svg IND Samanya Seva medal.svg IND Operation Vijay star.svg
IND Operation Vijay medal.svg IND Operation Parakram medal.svg IND Sainya Seva Medal Ribbon.svg IND 50th Anniversary Independence medal.svg
IND 30 Years Long Service Ribbon.svg IND 20YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg IND 9YearsServiceMedalRibbon.svg
Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Nao Sena Medal Samanya Seva Medal Operation Vijay Star
Operation Vijay Medal Operation Parakram Medal Sainya Seva Medal 50th Anniversary of Independence Medal
30 Years Long Service Medal 20 Years Long Service Medal 9 Years Long Service Medal

See also

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References

  1. "REAR ADMIRAL AJAY KOCHHAR ASSUMES COMMAND OF THE WESTERN FLEET (FOCWF)". pib.gov.in.
  2. "INS Trikand, a Stealth Frigate joins Indian Navy | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
  3. Twitter https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/854873877222014978.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. "Image Gallery". www.grse.in.
  5. 1 2 "Rear Admiral Ajay Kochhar Assumes Command of The Western Fleet (FOCWF) | Indian Navy". indiannavy.nic.in.
  6. "PRESS RELEASE - DISTINGUISHED SERVICE AWARDS TO INDIAN NAVY PERSONNEL ON REPUBLIC DAY". www.pib.gov.in. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
  7. "CHANGE AT THE HELM : VICE ADMIRAL AJAY KOCHHAR, AVSM, NM ASSUMES THE APPOINTMENT OF COMMANDANT NATIONAL DEFENCE ACDAEMY". pib.gov.in. 1 April 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  8. "x.com". X (formerly Twitter). Retrieved 27 May 2024.
Military offices
Preceded by Commanding Officer INS Vikramaditya
2017 - 2018
Succeeded by
Puruvir Das
Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet
2021 - 2021
Succeeded by
Preceded by Commandant, National Defence Academy
2022 - Present
Succeeded by