New Delhi: The Ministry of Defence on Saturday announced the appointment of Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan as the next Chief of Naval Staff. Currently serving as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of Western Naval Command in Mumbai, he will succeed Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi and assume charge on May 31, with his term running until December 31, 2028.
In an official post on X, the ministry stated: “Government appoints Vice Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, PVSM, AVSM, VSM as the next Chief of the Naval Staff.”
“He will succeed Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, who retires on 31 May 2026,” it added.
“Currently serving as FOC-in-C (Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief), Western Naval Command, the Admiral brings nearly four decades of distinguished service, with extensive operational, strategic and personnel management experience across key appointments in the Indian Navy,” the announcement further read.
Commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1987, Vice Admiral Swaminathan is a recognised specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. He assumed charge as Chief of Personnel on October 6, 2023, before taking over as Western Naval Commander.
Over his illustrious career, he has handled a broad range of operational, staff, and training roles, commanding vessels such as missile boats INS Vidyut and INS Vinash, missile corvette INS Kulish, guided-missile destroyer INS Mysore, and aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.
An alumnus of the National Defence Academy (NDA) in Pune, he has pursued advanced training at the Joint Services Command and Staff College (Shrivenham, UK), College of Naval Warfare (Karanja, Maharashtra), and United States Naval War College (Newport, Rhode Island, US).
His academic credentials include a PhD in International Studies and MPhil in Strategic Studies from Mumbai University, MA in Defence Studies from King’s College London, MSc in Telecommunications from Cochin University of Science and Technology (Kochi), and BSc from Jawaharlal Nehru University (New Delhi).
In recognition of his exemplary service, Vice Admiral Swaminathan has been awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and Vishisht Seva Medal (VSM).
