Sunil Lanba | |
---|---|
55th Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee | |
In office 31 December 2016 –31 May 2019 | |
President | Pranab Mukherjee Ram Nath Kovind |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Arup Raha |
Succeeded by | Birender Singh Dhanoa |
23rd Chief of the Naval Staff | |
In office 31 May 2016 –31 May 2019 | |
President | Pranab Mukherjee Ram Nath Kovind |
Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
Preceded by | Robin K. Dhowan |
Succeeded by | Karambir Singh |
Personal details | |
Born | Amarpur,Palwal,Haryana,India | 17 July 1957
Spouse | Reena Lanba |
Relations | 2 daughters and 1 son |
Awards | |
Military service | |
Allegiance | India |
Branch/service | Indian Navy |
Years of service | 1 January 1978 – 31 May 2019 |
Rank | Admiral |
Commands | |
Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, PJG, ADC (born 17 July 1957 [1] ) is a retired Indian naval officer who served as the 23rd Chief of the Naval Staff of the Indian Navy. He assumed the office on 31 May 2016 after Admiral Robin K. Dhowan and demitted office three years later on 31 May 2019. During this time, he also served as Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee and Honorary Aide-de-Camp to the President of India.
Lanba was born on 17 July 1957 and hails from Palwal district, Haryana. [2] [3] He attended Mayo College, Ajmer; National Defence Academy, Pune; Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; College of Defence Management, Secunderabad and Royal College of Defence Studies, London, and is a post-graduate in Defence and Management studies. [4] [5]
Lanba was commissioned into the Indian Navy as an officer on 1 January 1978 into the Executive Branch of Indian Navy. [2] He is a Navigation and Direction specialist who has served as the navigation and operations officer onboard various ships in both the Eastern and Western Fleets. He, over four decades, has served as a navigation officer on board INS Sindhudurg and INS Dunagiri before serving as the commanding officer (CO) of various ships: minesweeper INS Kakinada, frigate INS Himgiri, INS Ranvijay and INS Mumbai. [6] Promoted to substantive captain on 1 January 2000, [7] he also served as executive officer of aircraft carrier INS Viraat and the Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet. [2] [5]
He has also held numerous training positions like training officer at the National Defence Academy; Directing Staff at the College of Defence Management; Commandant of the National Defence College and Flag Officer Sea Training organisation at the Local Workup Team (West), Western Naval Command.
Lanba on being elevated to flag rank, was the Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area (FOMAG) and Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command. On being promoted to vice admiral, he was the Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command; Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern and Western Naval Commands; Fleet Oper and the Vice Chief of Naval Staff from 2 June 2014 to 30 March 2015. [8] [6] [9] [10] [11] [12]
On 5 May 2016, the Union Government announced that Lanba will take charge as the Chief of the Naval Staff on 31 May 2016, replacing Admiral Robin K. Dhowan who retired the same day. [2] [8]
He took over as the chairman of the chiefs of staff committee (CoSC) from outgoing IAF chief Marshal Arup Raha on 29 December 2016.
Country | Date | Purpose | References |
---|---|---|---|
2016 | |||
Myanmar | 1–4 November |
| [13] |
Sri Lanka | 27 November – 1 December |
| [14] |
Japan | 19–23 December |
| [15] |
2017 | |||
UAE | 26–28 February |
| [16] |
Oman | 1–2 March |
| [16] |
Malaysia | 11–15 April |
| [17] |
Singapore | 15 May – 19 May |
| [18] |
Israel | 12–15 June |
| [19] [20] |
Mozambique | 23–25 July |
| [21] |
Tanzania | 26–30 July |
| [21] |
Vietnam | 4–7 October |
| [22] |
France | 5–10 November |
| [23] |
Bangladesh | 26–28 November |
| [24] |
2018 | |||
Saudi Arabia | 4–8 February |
| [25] |
United States | 19–23 March |
| [26] |
Iran | 23–25 April |
| [27] |
Bangladesh | 24–29 June |
| [28] |
United States | 18-22 September |
| [29] |
Russia | 26-29 November |
| [30] |
He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (Military) of Singapore on 8 September 2022. He was awarded for his outstanding contributions in enhancing the strong and long-standing bilateral defence relationship between the Indian Navy and the Republic of Singapore Navy. Admiral Lanba became the first Indian to receive this award. [31]
He is married to Reena Lanba who is a qualified teacher and a home-maker. They have two daughters, named Moneesha and Sukriti, and a son named Adhiraj. [6] [5] [32]
The Western Naval Command is one of the three command–level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. As the senior–most of the three formations, the command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Arabian Sea and western parts of the Indian Ocean and the naval establishments on the west coast of India.
The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocean and the naval establishments on the east coast of India.
The Southern Naval Command is one of the three, command-level formations of the Indian Navy. Southern Naval Command is the largest naval command in India and it has its headquarters in Kochi, Kerala at INS Venduruthy. It is the Training Command of the Indian Navy.
Vice Admiral Surinder Pal Singh Cheema PVSM, AVSM, NM is a former Flag Officer in the Indian Navy. He last served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Western and Southern Naval Commands. He also served as the Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command and the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff to the Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee. He retired from the service on 31 January 2016, after almost four decades of service.
Vice Admiral Satish Soni is a retired Indian Navy officer. He is a former Commandant of the National Defence Academy (NDA) and Commander-in-Chief of Southern Command and Eastern Command.
AdmiralKarambir Singh, PVSM, AVSM, ADC, is a former flag officer of Indian Navy, who served as the 24th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). The "Grey Eagle" of the Navy, he replaced Admiral Sunil Lanba as the CNS after his retirement on 31 May 2019. Prior to his appointment, Admiral Singh served as the Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command.
Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC is a retired officer of Indian Navy who served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Western Naval Command from 1 June 2016 to 30 January 2019. He took over the position from Admiral Sunil Lanba who was promoted to Chief of Naval Staff, and was succeeded by Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar.
The Vice Chief of the Naval Staff (VCNS) is a statutory position in the Indian Armed Forces, that is usually held by a three star vice admiral. The Vice Chief is the deputy of the Chief of the Naval Staff and is usually the second highest ranking officer of the Indian Navy. The current VCNS is Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan who took over from Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on 1 May 2024.
Abhay Raghunath Karve PVSM, AVSM is a retired Indian Navy Vice Admiral. He last served as the 27th Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Southern Naval Command. He retired on 30 July 2018 and was succeeded by Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla.
Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC is a retired Indian Navy Admiral. He served as Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) Western Naval Command. He assumed the position on 31 January 2019 after Vice Admiral Girish Luthra's retirement and superannuated on 28 February 2021. Prior to this appointment, he served as Vice Chief of Naval Staff.
Vice Admiral Ajendra Bahadur Singh, PVSM, AVSM, VSM, ADC is a former flag officer of the Indian Navy. He last served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Western Naval Command from 29 November 2021 succeeding Vice Admiral R. Hari Kumar on his elevation. Previously, he served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Eastern Naval Command of the Indian Navy. He assumed the position on 1 March 2021 after the appointment of Vice Admiral Atul Kumar Jain as the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff. He was the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff and served Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command prior to this appointment.
Admiral Radhakrishnan Hari Kumar is retired flag officer in the Indian Navy. He served as 25th Chief of the Naval Staff (CNS). Previously, he served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. In his prior appointments, he served as the Chief of Integrated Defence Staff, Chief of Personnel, Controller Personnel Services, the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Flag Officer Sea Training and the Chief of the Staff of the Western Naval Command. He was the Commandant of the Naval War College, Goa and served as a naval advisor to the government of Seychelles. He is an alumnus of National Defence Academy, the Naval War College, the Army War College, Mhow and the Royal College of Defence Studies.
Vice Admiral G. Ashok Kumar PVSM, AVSM, VSM is a retired Flag Officer in the Indian Navy, who is currently appointed as the first National Maritime Security Coordinator. He works within the National Security Council Secretariat under the National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He served as the 35th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. He assumed the position on 30 January 2019 from Vice Admiral Ajit Kumar who took over the Western Naval Command. He retired on 31 July 2021 after 39 years of service. He is succeeded by Vice Admiral Satish Namdeo Ghormade.
Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, AVSM, VSM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. He took over as the 39th Vice Chief of Naval staff on 1 May 2024. He previously served as Chief of Personnel. He earlier served as the Controller of Personnel Services, Chief of Staff of the Western Naval Command, Flag Officer Defence Advisory Group (FODAG), Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) and Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST). He was the second Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
Vice Admiral Makarand Aravind Hampiholi, PVSM, AVSM, NM is a former flag officer in the Indian Navy. He last served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Southern Naval Command. Previously, he served as the Commandant of Indian Naval Academy and served as the Director General Naval Operations (DGNO) at Naval headquarters.
Vice Admiral Ravneet Singh, PVSM, AVSM, NM is a former flag officer in the Indian Navy. He last served as the Deputy Chief of the Naval Staff. He assumed office from Vice Admiral Murlidhar Sadashiv Pawar on 1 June 2021 following his retirement. Previously, he served as the Chief of Personnel (COP) and as the Director General Project Seabird. He has also served as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet from October 2015 to October 2016.
Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, PVSM, AVSM, NM is a serving four star flag officer of the Indian Navy. He is the current and the 26th Chief of the Naval Staff. He took over as the 26th CNS succeeding Admiral R. Hari Kumar on 30 April 2024. He previously served as the 38th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. He earlier served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command, prior to that he served as the Chief of Personnel (COP) and as the Director General of Naval Operations (DGNO).
Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta, PVSM, AVSM, YSM, VSM is a retired officer of the Indian Navy. He served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Eastern Naval Command. He had earlier served as the Chief of Staff of ENC from 2020 to 2021, Controller of Personnel Services at Naval HQ from 2019 to 2020 and as the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet (FOCEF) from 2016 to 2018.
Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area (FOMA) is a senior appointment in the Indian Navy. One of the five Area Commanders of the Indian Navy, the FOMA is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The FOMA has operational control of the flotilla and forces assigned for the local naval defence of all ports in Maharashtra and the 22nd Missile Vessel Squadron. Apart from this, the FOMA is responsible for the operations and administration of all units and establishments in Maharashtra. The current FOMA is Rear Admiral Anil Jaggi, who assumed office on 1 Sept 2024.
Media related to Sunil Lanba at Wikimedia Commons