Rear Admiral Bhalla is Eastern Fleet Chief

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 20

Rear Admiral Sanjay Bhalla on Monday took over the command of the Eastern Fleet of the Indian Navy. The change of guard took place at a ceremony at Naval Dockyard, Visakhapatnam.

With this, the top brass of the Eastern Command stands changed over the past three weeks.

Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta took over as the Eastern Naval Commander on December 1 and Vice Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan had assumed charge as the Chief of Staff of the Eastern Naval Command on December 16.

Rear Admiral Bhalla was commissioned into the Indian Navy in January 1989 and is a specialist in communication and electronic warfare. He is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai, and Royal College of Defence Studies, London.

His sea commands include those of missile vessel INS Nishank, anti-submarine warfare frigate INS Taragiri and guided-missile frigate INS Beas.

His prestigious staff and operational appointments include those as Training Commander at the Indian Naval Academy, Director at Maritime Doctrine and Concepts Centre and Naval Adviser at the High Commission of India, Islamabad.