Vice Admiral Robin K Dhowan is the new Navy chief

Delhi – Vice Admiral Robin K Dhowan is the new chief of the Indian Navy. His appointment has been cleared by the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC).

Vice Admiral Dhowan had taken over as the acting Naval Chief on February 26 after the incumbent, DK Joshi put in his papers owning “moral responsibility” for a series of accidents.

Vice Admiral Dhowan, who would have otherwise retired on May 31, will now serve for an additional two years.

Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha, currently the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C), Western Naval Command, based in Mumbai, is senior to Vice Admiral Dhowan. He was tipped to be the next Navy Chief but a majority of the accidents that have plagued the Navy in the 7-8 months, have taken place in the Western Naval Command.

Vice Admiral Dhowan is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy and has served in various operational and staff appointments. However, he hasn’t headed an operational command, seen as a prerequisite for becoming the Navy Chief.

As the new Naval Chief, Vice Admiral Dhowan will be confronted with the challenge of navigating the Indian Navy through very trying times.

In March, a Commander-rank officer was killed in an accident on board a yet-to-be-operational Kolkata class destroyer. In February, two officers were killed in a fire that broke out aboard submarine INS Sindhuratna off the coast of Mumbai.

In August last year, another submarine, INS Sindhurakshak sank in the Mumbai harbour after an explosion, killing 18 sailors.