Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi on Tuesday took over as India’s 26th chief of naval staff, succeeding Admiral R Hari Kumar who held the top post for two years and five months.
An alumnus of Sainik School, Rewa and National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned into the navy on July 1, 1985.
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He was the vice chief of naval staff before taking charge of the service.
After taking charge, Tripathi said, “Over the years, the navy has evolved into a combat-ready force. The existing and emerging challenges in the maritime domain mandate that the Indian Navy should always remain operationally ready to deter potential adversaries at sea in peace, and to win the war at and from the sea when asked to do so. This will remain my singular focus and endeavour.”
He added that another priority would be to strengthen the ongoing efforts of the navy towards Atmanirbharta and introducing new technologies.
Tripathi takes over the service at a time when the challenges in the distant seas include China’s carefully calculated power play for influence, defending the rules-based international order, and the Arabian Sea emerging as a new front with Red Sea tensions escalating and the resurgence of piracy.
In the new role, Tripathi will also spearhead the navy’s modernisation with a sharp focus on indigenisation — the navy is working on becoming fully self-reliant by 2047 when India celebrates 100 years of independence.
More changes in the country’s top military leadership will follow as army chief General Manoj Pande retires on May 31. Army vice chief Lieutenant General Upendra Dwivedi is the frontrunner for the top post as he will be the senior-most officer the day Pande retires.
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Tripathi was the Western Naval command chief before he was appointed the navy’s vice chief in January 2024 and had earlier served as the navy’s chief of personnel.
A communication and electronic warfare specialist, he served on frontline warships as signal communication officer and electronic warfare officer, and later as the executive officer and principal warfare officer of guided missile destroyer INS Mumbai.
Tripathi enjoys a formidable reputation among his peers as a communication specialist who could solve relative velocity problems in his head while steering frontline warships in the right direction on the high seas with ease, he has excelled in career-advancing courses and held prestigious appointments in a career spanning almost four decades, he is known for his love for tennis, and the officer is fond of singing Hindi songs.
Apart from commanding warships INS Vinash, INS Kirch and INS Trishul, Tripathi has held a raft of key operational and staff appointments, including fleet operations officer of the Western Fleet at Mumbai, director of naval operations, principal director of network centric operations, and principal director, naval plans at New Delhi. His other appointments include assistant chief of naval staff (policy and plans) and Flag Officer Commanding, Eastern Fleet.
On promotion to the rank of vice admiral in June 2019, the officer was appointed commandant of the prestigious Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala, and he was also the director general of naval operations from July 2020 to May 2021. In the latter role, he ensured the navy remained a combat-ready, cohesive and credible force ready to address many complex security challenges despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
He is a graduate of the elite Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and has attended the Naval Higher Command Course and the Naval Command College at the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island.
