From the forces : CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF

CHIEF OF THE NAVAL STAFF

ADMIRAL SUREESH MEHTA, PVSM, AVSM, ADC

1. Admiral Sureesh Mehta was born on 18 Aug 1947 and is thus the first post-independence born Chief of the Indian Armed Forces. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was commissioned in the Indian Navy in July 1967. Shortly thereafter, he joined the Fleet Air Arm and extensively flew Sea Hawk jet fighters from the carrier, INS Vikrant.

2. The Flag Officer is a graduate of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and has also carried out instructional duties as a Directing Staff in that institute. At a subsequent stage, in 1994, he attended the National Defence College in New Delhi. His earlier important afloat and ashore appointments include the command of the frigate INS Beas and the first indigenously-built guided missile Frigate of the Indian Navy - INS Godavari. He has also had the distinction of commanding one of the premier Naval Air Stations of the Navy – INS Garuda.

3. In his last assignment, Admiral Mehta was the commander-in-Chief of the premier Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Indian Navy, from 30 Sep 05. During his tenure, the Eastern Naval Command was involved in numerous operational missions in the Bay of Bengal and South East Asia. The Command also hosted the first ever President’s Fleet Review on the Eastern Sea Board in Feb 06, which saw the participation of over 66 ships and 50 aircraft of the combined Indian Fleet. His other operational Flag appointments include Fleet Commander of the Western Fleet during the Kargil Crisis of 1999 and Flag Officer Naval Aviation prior to that.

4. He has held various staff appointments in the Flag rank at New Delhi, including (in descending order) the Deputy Chief of Naval Staff, Director General Coast Guard, Chief of Personnel, Controller of Personnel Services, Assistant Chief of Personnel (Human Resources Development) and Assistant Controller Carrier Projects.

5. On assuming office of Chief of the Naval Staff on 01 Nov 06, Admiral Mehta has focused on network centric operations and capability augmentation as his key result areas. In addition, he has furthered the cause of improvements in quality of life of the naval family. A large number of initiatives have been launched in the last few months to augment infrastructure and facilities in the naval bases across the country.

6. The Admiral has also focused on issues of connectivity and multinational cooperation through Naval interaction in the larger interest of the maritime community. The Indian Navy has recently launched an initiative to create a forum termed as Indian Ocean Naval Symposium (IONS), enabling an opportunity for all the Indian Ocean littorals to interact on aspects of challenges facing this important region. The Inaugural Session of this Symposium is scheduled for Feb 2008. The recent multinational exercise in the Andaman Sea is another example of his approach to multinational cooperation.

7. The Admiral is also currently the Chairman, Chiefs of Staff Committee, in which capacity he oversees aspects of strategic warfare and joint operations.

8. The Admiral was awarded the ‘Ati Vishist Seva Medal’ in 1995 and ‘Param Vishist Seva Medal’ in 2005 for his exceptional meritorious services.

9. Admiral and Mrs Maria Teresa Mehta have two children.