Vice Admiral Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral. Australia In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...

Sameer Saxena,

AVSM Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, ) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime ...

, NM is a serving Flag officer in the

Indian Navy The Indian Navy (IN) (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the Navy, maritime and Amphibious warfare, amphibious branch of the Indian Armed Forces. The President of India is the Supreme Commander of the Indian Navy. The Chief of the Naval Staff (India), Chief ...

. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff,

Eastern Naval Command The Eastern Naval Command is one of the three command-level formations of the Indian Navy. It is headquartered in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh. The command is responsible for the all naval forces in the Bay of Bengal and parts of the Indian Ocea ...

. He earlier served as the

Flag Officer Commanding Gujarat Naval Area Flag Officer Commanding Gujarat, Daman & Diu Naval Area (FOGNA) is a senior appointment in the Indian Navy. One of the five Area Commanders of the Indian Navy, the FOGNA is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The FOGNA is responsi ...

, as the

Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) is the title of the Indian Navy Officer who commands the Western Fleet, headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The FOCWF is a two star admiral holding the rank of Rear Admiral. The appointment is consi ...

and as the Naval adviser to the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom at

India House, London The High Commission of India in London, England, is the diplomatic mission of India in the United Kingdom. It is located in India House on Aldwych, between Bush House, what was Marconi House (now Citibank) and Australia House. It faces both ...

Early life and education

Saxena was born to

Commodore Commodore may refer to: Ranks * Commodore (rank), a naval rank ** Commodore (Royal Navy), in the United Kingdom ** Commodore (India), in India ** Commodore (United States) ** Commodore (Canada) ** Commodore (Finland) ** Commodore (Germany) or ' ...

MML Saxena, an officer in the Indian Navy. His uncle, Commodore HML Saxena, also was a naval officer. The Saxena brothers, HML and MML, both served on as the

executive officer An executive officer is a person who is principally responsible for leading all or part of an organization, although the exact nature of the role varies depending on the organization. In many militaries and police forces, an executive officer ...

and the navigation officer respectively during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. Saxena joined and graduated from the

National Defence Academy The National Defence Academy (NDA) is the joint defence service training institute of the Indian Armed Forces. Here, cadets of the Indian Army, Indian Navy, and Indian Air Force train together before they go on to their respective service a ...

, Pune. He also attended the

Defence Services Staff College The Defence Services Staff College (DSSC) is a defence service training institution of the Ministry of Defence, Government of India. It trains officers of all three services of the Indian Armed Forces – (Indian Army, Indian Navy, Indian Air ...

Wellington Wellington is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the third-largest city in New Zealand (second largest in the North Island ...

and the

Naval War College The Naval War College (NWC or NAVWARCOL) is the staff college and "Home of Thought" for the United States Navy at Naval Station Newport in Newport, Rhode Island. The NWC educates and develops leaders, supports defining the future Navy and associa ...

Newport, Rhode Island Newport is a seaside city on Aquidneck Island in Rhode Island, United States. It is located in Narragansett Bay, approximately southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, Providence, south of Fall River, Massachusetts, south of Boston, and nort ...

Naval career

Saxena was commissioned into the

on 1 July 1989 from the

Indian Naval Academy The Indian Naval Academy (INA or INA Ezhimala) is the Defense (military), defence service training establishment for officer cadre of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard, located in Ezhimala, Kannur district, Kerala. Situated between Ez ...

Ezhimala Ezhimala, a hill reaching a height of , is located near Payyanur, in Kannur district of Kerala, South India. It is a part of a conspicuous and isolated cluster of hills, forming a promontory, north of Kannur (Cannanore). The Indian Naval Acad ...

. He is a specialist in navigation and direction. He served in the direction team of the aircraft carrier . He also served as the navigation officer of the

Khukri-class corvette The ''Khukri''-class corvette , also known as Project 25, is a class of corvettes intended to replace the ageing Petya II-class corvettes of the Indian Navy. The first two were ordered in December 1983 and the remaining in 1985. Around 65% o ...

, the

lead ship The lead ship, name ship, or class leader is the first of a series or class of ships that are all constructed according to the same general design. The term is applicable to naval ships and large civilian vessels. Large ships are very comple ...

of her class of

guided missile frigate A frigate () is a type of warship. In different eras, the roles and capabilities of ships classified as frigates have varied. The name frigate in the 17th to early 18th centuries was given to any full-rigged ship built for speed and maneuvera ...

s and the

of her class of guided missile destroyers . In his staff appointments, Saxena has served in the Directorate of personnel and as the Naval Assistant (NA) to the Chief of the Naval Staff. He also served as the Principal Director of Foreign Cooperation at NHQ. He also served in training appointments at his alma mater, the National Defence Academy, and the Centre for Leadership and Behavioural Studies. Saxena has commanded the Seaward-class defense boat of the Mauritius Coast Guard, MCGS Guardian. He subsequently commanded the Kora-class corvette . He then served as the executive officer of the Delhi-class destroyer and commanded another ship of the same class of

guided missile destroyer A guided-missile destroyer (DDG) is a destroyer whose primary armament is guided missiles so they can provide anti-aircraft warfare screening for the fleet. The NATO standard designation for these vessels is DDG, while destroyers which have a pr ...

s . In March 2016, as a

, he was appointed the Naval advisor to the High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom at the

High Commission of India, London The High Commission of India in London, England, is the diplomatic mission of India in the United Kingdom. It is located in India House on Aldwych, between Bush House, what was Marconi House (now Citibank) and Australia House. It faces both the ...

. The High Commissioners during his tenure were

Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha Yashvardhan Kumar Sinha (born 4 October 1958) is a retired Indian diplomat who belongs to the Indian Foreign Service. He is the former High Commissioner of India to the United Kingdom. He was sworn in as Central Information Commissioner on 1 ...

and Ruchi Ghanashyam. On 26 January 2017, he was awarded the

Nau Sena Medal Nau Sena Medal (also spelt ''Nao Sena Medal'', lit. ''Navy Medal'') is a gallantry award for servicemen in the Indian Navy. History The Nau Sena Medal was instituted on 26 January 1960 by the Government of India, with the approval of the Presid ...

for devotion to duty.

Flag rank

Saxena was promoted to flag rank in February 2020 and was appointed Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) (ACNS P&P) at naval headquarters. He took command of the Western Fleet on 27 December 2021 as the

from Rear Admiral

Ajay Kochhar Vice Admiral Ajay Kochhar, AVSM, NM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command. He last served as the Commandant of the National Defence Academy. He earlier served as the Flag ...

. After a tenure of about a year as FOCWF, Saxena relinquished charge and handed over command to Rear Admiral Vineet McCarty on 15 November 2022. On 29 November, he took over charge as the Flag Officer Commanding Gujarat Naval Area (FOGNA). On 26 January 2023, he was awarded the

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM, ) is a military award of India given to recognize "distinguished service of an exceptional order" to all ranks of the armed forces. The award is a peacetime equivalent of Uttam Yuddh Seva Medal, which is a Wartime D ...

for his tenure as FOCWF. On 1 August 2023, he was promoted to the rank of

and appointed Chief of Staff of the

Awards and decorations

Bibliography

References