Sanjay Jasjit Singh

Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, AVSM, NM is a serving flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command. He previously served as the 37th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff and as the Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) (DCIDS Ops) at IDS HQ.

Early life and education
Singh was born in an Armed Forces family and is a third-generation officer. His father, Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, AVSM, VrC, VM was an officer in the Indian Air Force. Jasjit Singh, as a fighter pilot in No. 3 Squadron IAF, was awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After rretiring from the IAF, he headed the think tank Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (later Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses), from 1987 to 2001. In 2001, he founded the think tank Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS). He served as the Director General of CAPS till his death in 2013.

Singh graduated from the National Defence Academy, Pune where he was adjudged the best naval cadet. He was awarded the Binoculars as the Best Sea Cadet as well as the Sword of Honour as a Midshipman.

Naval career
Singh was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1986. After serving in the Andamans and in Mumbai in his early years, he specialised in Navigation and Direction, topping the Long ND course in 1992. He has served as the navigation officer on most classes of ships - the Khukri-class corvette INS Kuthar, the aircraft carrier INS Viraat and the Godavari-class frigate INS Gomati. He was also the commissioning Navigation Officer of the lead ship of her class of guided missile destroyers, INS Delhi.

In early 1999, Singh was appointed staff officer ND of the P-15 Training Team, at Mumbai. Later that year, he was selected to attend the Advanced Command and Staff Course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College (JSCSC), Shrivenham in the United Kingdom. He graduated from JSCSC in 2000, as the Best Overseas Student amongst 90 Army, Navy and Air Force officers from about 50 countries. After returning to India, he was appointed Joint Director of Personnel (JDOP) at naval headquarters. He was promoted to the rank of Commander in May 2001. After a three-year tenure as JDOP, he was appointed Naval attaché at the Embassy of India at Tehran, Iran.

After his return to India, Singh commanded the Nilgiri-class ASW and UAV-control frigate INS Taragiri. He was promoted to the rank of Captain on 1 July 2008. For his command of the Taragiri, he was awarded the Nao Sena Medal on 26 January 2009. In mid-2008, he took over as the Officer-in-charge, Local Work Up Team (West). As OIC-LWT(W), he was responsible for operational sea training of ships. After a short stint, he attended the naval higher command course at the College of Naval Warfare (CNW) in Mumbai. During these stints, he was the lead drafter for the Indian Navy’s Maritime Doctrine, 2009, for which he was awarded Commendation by the Chief of the Naval Staff. After graduating from CNW, he took over as the Officer-in-charge of his alma mater, the Navigation Direction School.

In mid-2010, Singh was appointed commanding officer of the Talwar-class guided missile frigate INS Trishul. After about eighteen months in command, he was selected to attend National Defence College, New Delhi as part of the 52nd course, in the rank of Commodore. After completing the year-long course, he was appointed Principal Director Naval Operations at NHQ. Subsequently, he was appointed Principal Director Strategy, Concepts and Transformation (PDSCT), also at NHQ. As the PDSCT, he was the lead drafter of the Strategic Guidance to Transformation, 2015, and the Indian Maritime Security Strategy, 2015.

Flag rank
On promotion to Flag rank, on 19 November 2015, Singh took over as the Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Communication Space and Network Centric Operation) (ACNS (CSNCO)). He was the second officer to hold the newly-created post. On 4 February 2018, he assumed the office of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) at Kochi. As FOST, his charter included the conduct of the operational sea training of all ships of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard. After a year-long tenure as FOST, Singh assumed the office of the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet on 22 March 2019. For his command of the Western Fleet, Singh was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2020.

On 18 February 2020, Singh took over as the fourth Commandant of his alma mater, the Naval War College, Goa. After a one year stint, he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Controller of Personnel Services (CPS) at Naval HQ. In August 2021, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) at HQ IDS.

On 1 April 2023, he was appointed the 37th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. He was appointed as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command (FOC-in-C WNC) on 5 December 2023. He assumed the post on 4 January 2024 succeeding Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi.

Personal life
Singh is married to Zarine Lord Singh, a former fashion model. The couple has a daughter, Payal, and a son, Samar.

Awards and decorations
Singh was awarded the Nao Sena Medal in 2009 and the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2020.

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