New Delhi: Senior naval officer Vice-Adm. Sunil Lanba, who is likely to take over as Chief of Naval Staff in four months, has now taken over as chief of the Mumbai-based Wes-tern Naval Command, considered the “premier operational command” of the Indian Navy. Current naval chief Admiral R.K. Dhowan is due to retire on May 31, and once that happens, Vice-Adm. Lanba will be the seniormost serving naval officer.
The Navy said in a statement on Sunday: “Vice-Adm. Sunil Lanba took over the reins of Western Naval Command (WNC) as Flag Officer Comm-anding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) on 31 January 2016 from Vice-Adm. S.P.S. Cheema at a ceremonial parade held at INS Shikra.”
It added: “Vice-Adm. Lanba, a specialist in navigation and direction and an alumnus of Defence Services Staff College, has very rich operational and staff experience over a career spanning more than three decades... He is also an alumnus of the College of Defence Management, Secunderabad, where he also served on the faculty.”
