Vice Adm Manish Chadha, AVSM, VSM, assumed charge as the Director General Naval Operations on Monday, stepping into one of the Indian Navy's key operational appointments at Naval Headquarters in New Delhi. He takes over four days after his predecessor moved on to a more senior role, according to a Navy release.

The New Director General Naval Operations Comes from the Signals World

An alumnus of the 78th course of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, Vice Adm Chadha was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jul 1991. He is a Communication and Electronic Warfare Specialist by background, a specialisation that placed him inside the Navy's networked and satellite communication projects rather than on the gunnery or aviation side of the service.

He is also an alumnus of the 61st Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, and completed the Higher Command Course at the National Defence University in Washington, USA.

Command at Sea, from a Coast Guard Interceptor to INS Mysore

Vice Adm Chadha's afloat appointments span three decades of the Navy's evolving platforms. He commanded the Coast Guard Interceptor Boat CGS-05 early in his career, then Indian Naval Ships Veer and Kirpan, before his most senior sea command aboard INS Mysore, a Delhi class guided missile destroyer and one of the Western Fleet's larger surface combatants.

A Posting in Moscow and Projects at Naval Headquarters

Between sea commands, Vice Adm Chadha served as the Naval Attaché at the Embassy of India, Moscow.

Back at Naval Headquarters, he steered projects covering VLF and satellite communications, infrastructure underpinning submarine communication and long-range networking respectively, and served as Director of the International Fleet Review 2016, the multinational naval gathering hosted off Visakhapatnam that year.

Flag Officer Commanding Two Naval Areas on India's Western Seaboard

On promotion to flag rank, Vice Adm Chadha held the appointments of Flag Officer Commanding Gujarat Naval Area and, later, Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra Naval Area, interspersed with a stint as Assistant Chief of Personnel handling Administration and Civilian matters and, separately, Human Resource Development. Both Naval Area commands sit under the Western Naval Command, covering coastal defence and naval administration along Gujarat and Maharashtra before his elevation to Vice Admiral.

Commandant of the Naval Academy Before the Director General's Chair

On elevation to Vice Admiral, Vice Adm Chadha was appointed Commandant of the Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, a tenure the Navy describes as centred on shaping future naval leadership.

He was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal in 2025 and the Vishisht Seva Medal in 2017.

Filling the Chair Vacated by a Move to Deputy Chief of Naval Staff

Vice Adm AN Pramod moved from this post to Deputy Chief of Naval Staff on 01 Aug 2026, opening the chair Vice Adm Chadha now occupies.

The Director General Naval Operations post sits at the centre of the Navy's day-to-day operational planning, coordinating closely with the Chief of the Naval Staff and the three operational naval commands on fleet deployment, readiness and maritime domain awareness, functions that fall under the Ministry of Defence. The official Navy release lists no other change in the appointment chain around the post.

The Navy's own announcement of the appointment: