Vijay Shankar

Vijay Shankar (born September 30, 1949) is a retired Indian Navy Vice Admiral who served as the Commander-in-Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) and as the Commander-in-Chief of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) of the Indian Armed Forces. His prior commands included that as the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet (FOCWF). He also served as the Commanding Officer of INS Viraat, INS Ganga, INS Himgiri and INS Panaji.

Vice Admiral Shankar retired on September 30, 2009. Since then he has held the Admiral Katari Chair at the United Services Institution.

Early life
Vijay Shankar's was born on September 30, 1949 in Bangalore, India. His father was an officer in the Royal Indian Air Force, and later in the Indian Air Force. He did his early education in India as well as the United Kingdom.

Services career
Vijay Shankar graduated from the 34th course of the National Defence Academy. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 January 1970. A specialist in Navigation and Direction, he holds a Master of Science degee in Defence Studies. He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington, the Naval Higher Command Course from the College of Naval Warfare, Karanja and the Naval War College, United States.

His staff appointments included those as Deputy Director of Combat Policy and Tactics, Naval Headquarters; Chief Instructor at the Navigation and Direction School, Kochi, as Director of the School of Maritime Warfare and Tactics, Kochi, as Senior Instructor at the Defence Services Staff College and Director of Staff Requirements at Naval Headquarters.

He was promoted to Rear Admiral in April 1999 and appointed as the Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command. Next, he served as the Assistant Controller, Aircraft Carrier Projects at Naval Headquarters (NHQ). He also served as the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet (FOCWF).

He was promoted to Vice Admiral in November 2005, and was appointed Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations). He then led Doctrine Organization and Training, Integrated Defence Staff (IDS) at Defence Headquarters (DHQ).

Vice Admiral Shankar has had the distinction of commanding both the joint-services commands of the Indian Armed Forces. He took over as the Commander in Chief of the Strategic Forces Command (SFC) in December 2006. He became the Commander in Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) in September 2008.

His assignments at sea included specialist tenures of several fleet units between 1970 and 1983. He was a part of the commissioning crews of INS Ghorpad in Poland and of INS Rana in the erstwhile Soviet Union. He has served as the Fleet Operations Officer, Western Fleet. He was appointed the Commanding Officer of INS Panaji in 1973, INS Himgiri in 1987, INS Ganga in 1993 and INS Viraat in 1995. He took command of the Sword Arm of the Indian Navy as the Flag Officer Commanding, Western Fleet (FOCWF) in January 2003.

His operational experience included active service during the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. He commanded INS Himgiri during its deployment as part of Operation Pawan. He served as the Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command during Operation Vijay (1999).

Awards

 * Aide-de-camp (ADC) to the President of India
 * Param Vishisht Seva Medal, 2008
 * Ati Vishisht Seva Medal, 2002

Later career
Vice Admiral Shankar lives in the Nilgiris area. He is a lecturer at Defence Services Staff College, Higher Command College and the National Maritime Foundation. He holds the Admiral Katari Chair at the United Service Institution. He is a recognized expert on nuclear security issues in the Indian Subcontinent.