Sanjay Vatsayan

• Ati Vishisht Seva Medal
• Nao Sena Medal

Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan AVSM NM
Official Portrait, 2025
47th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 August 2025

Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, AVSM, NM is a serving flag officer of the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the 47th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. He previously served as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations), as Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, as Deputy Commandant of the National Defence Academy, and as the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet.

Early life and education

Vatsayan graduated from the National Defence Academy, Pune in 1986.

Naval career

Vatsayan was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 January 1988. He is a specialist in Gunnery and missile systems. He has completed the staff course at the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington Cantonment in 2003 and the higher command course at the Naval War College, Goa in 2010. He has also attended the National Defence College, New Delhi in 2014. ^[1]

He has served on the Samar-class offshore patrol vessel ICGS Sangram, ICGS C05 and was part of the commissioning crew of the Delhi-class Guided missile destroyer INS Mysore (D60). ^[2]

Vatsayan has commanded the Veer-class missile vessels INS Vibhuti (K45) and INS Nashak (K83), and the Khukri-class corvette INS Kuthar (P46). He was also the Commissioning Commanding Officer of the indigenously-built Shivalik-class Guided missile frigate INS Sahyadri (F49). ^[2]

Vatsayan, in his staff appointments, has served as the Joint Director of Personnel, Director of Personnel (Policy). He also served as the Director Naval Plans (Perspective Planning) and the Principal Director Naval Plans, all at Naval HQ. ^[2]

Flag rank

On promotion to Flag Rank in February 2018, Vatsayan took over as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) (ACNS P&P). ^{[3] [1]} On 10 February 2020, he assumed the office of the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet, taking over from Rear Admiral Suraj Berry who commanded the Eastern Fleet from 2019 to 2020. ^{[4] [5]} For his command of the eastern fleet, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2021. ^[6] In February 2021, he relinquished command of the Eastern Fleet to Rear Admiral Tarun Sobti and was appointed Deputy Commandant (DepCom) of the National Defence Academy (NDA). ^[7]

After a short stint as DepCom, NDA, he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command (COS) in December 2021. He served as COS to Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta. ^{[8] [9]} After an eighteen month tenure as COS, he moved to the Integrated Defence Staff as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations). ^[10]

Awards and decorations

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal	Nau Sena Medal	Samanya Seva Medal	Special Service Medal
Operation Vijay Medal	Operation Parakram Medal	Sainya Seva Medal	Videsh Seva Medal
75th Anniversary of Independence Medal	50th Anniversary of Independence Medal		30 Years Long Service Medal
	20 Years Long Service Medal	9 Years Long Service Medal

Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayam when serverd as Integrated Defence Staff (Policy Planning & Force Development)

See also

• Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet
• Eastern Fleet

References

1. "Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, NM takes over as Assistant chief of Naval Staff (Policy & Planning)". pib.gov.in.
2. "Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan takes over as Eastern Fleet Commander". pib.gov.in.
3. "Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan NM assumes charge has taken over as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy & Plans) at IHQ MoD(Navy), New Delhi. He is a graduate of the NDA(1986), DSSC Wellington (2003), Naval War College, Mumbai (2010) & National Defence College, ND.pic.twitter.com/llwqZqvb7a". @indiannavy. 6 February 2018.
4. "Rear Admiral Suraj Berry Assumes Charge as the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in.
5. "RAdm Sanjay Vatsayan, NM took over as Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) from RAdm Suraj Berry, AVSM, NM, VSM at #Vizag on 10 Feb 20. #EasternFleet comprises frontline warships of #IndianNavy. Deployed across Indo-Pacific to safeguard nations's #MaritimeInterest.pic.twitter.com/i8gZZTgEZ1". @indiannavy. 10 February 2020.
6. "Distinguished Service and Gallantry Award Winners on Republic Day 2021". pib.gov.in.
7. "Rear Adm Tarun Sobti takes over as Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet". Press Information Bureau. Government of India. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
8. "Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan assumes charge as the Chief of Staff ENC" (Press release). PIB. 16 December 2021.
9. @PRO_Vizag (16 December 2021). "Vice Adm Sanjay Vatsayan, AVSM NM assumed charge as Chief of Staff of the EasternNavalCommand on 16 Dec 21" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
10. HQ ENC [@IN_HQENC] (2 August 2023). "The outgoing Chief of Staff, ENC, VAdm Sanjay Vatsayan, AVSM, NM will take over as DCIDS (Operations)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.

Military offices
Preceded by Suraj Berry	Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet 2020–2021	Succeeded by Tarun Sobti
Preceded by Biswajit Dasgupta	Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command 2021–2023	Succeeded by Sameer Saxena
Preceded by Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar	Deputy Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) 2023 - 2023	Succeeded by Lieutenant General Vipul Shinghal
Preceded by Lieutenant General Manjinder Singh	Deputy Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (Perspective Planning & Force Development) 2023 - 2025	Succeeded by Vice Admiral Vineet McCarty
Preceded by Krishna Swaminathan	Vice Chief of the Naval Staff 2025-Present	Incumbent