Vice Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi has been appointed as the next Chief of the Indian Navy. He will succeed Admiral R Hari Kumar who is retiring on 30th of this month. Prior to taking over as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff, Mr Tripathi has served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command. A Communication and Electronic Warfare specialist, he has served on frontline warships of the Navy as Signal Communication Officer and Electronic Warfare Officer, and later as the Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Missile Destroyer INS Mumbai. He commanded the Indian naval ships Vinash, Kirch and Trishul.

Vice Admiral Tripathi is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and the Nausena Medal for devotion to duty.