Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar steps in as DG Naval Operations

Vice Admiral Rajesh Pendharkar, AVSM, VSM, assumed control as Director General Naval Operations on June 7, replacing Vice Adm. Dinesh K Tripathi. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Pune and was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 1987.

A specialist in Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW), he has served on frontline warships of the Navy as ASW Officer and eventually as Executive officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Destroyer INS Mysore.

The admiral’s operational assignments include commanding the corvette INS Kora, frigate INS Shivalik, and aircraft carrier INS Viraat. He has also held important positions in Integrated Headquarters MoD (Navy) in the Directorate of Staff Requirements, Directorate of Personnel, and the Directorate of Net-Centric Operations.

“On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral in Feb 2016, he was appointed as the Assistant Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Int – A) at HQ IDS, New Delhi, and subsequently as the Chief Staff Officer (Operations) in Headquarters, Western Naval Command, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area and Flag Officer Sea Training.”, the press release informed.

He attended the graduate course at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington; Naval Command College, Rhode Island, USA among others, and holds a Master’s Degree in Defence and Strategic Studies.

Vice Adm. Pendharkar is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal for ‘distinguished service’.