NEW DELHI: The Government on Thursday appointed Vice Admiral Dinesh Kumar Tripathi, presently serving as Vice Chief of Naval Staff as the next Chief of Naval Staff (CNS).
He will be CNS with effect from the afternoon of 30th April as the incumbent Chief of Naval Staff (CNS) Admiral R Hari Kumar is slated to superannuate the same day.
Vice Admiral Tripathi took over as Vice Chief of the Naval Staff on 04 Jan 2024. Admiral Hari Kumar, commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 January 1983, took charge as CNS on 30 November 2021 as the 25th Chief of the Naval Staff.
Vice Admiral DK Tripathi an alumnus of Sainik School Rewa and National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 01 Jul 1985.
A Communication and Electronic Warfare specialist, he served on frontline warships of the Navy as Signal Communication Officer and Electronic Warfare Officer, and later as the Executive Officer and Principal Warfare Officer of Guided Missile Destroyer INS Mumbai.
He commanded Indian Naval Ships Vinash, Kirch and Trishul. He has also held various important operational and staff appointments which include Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet at Mumbai, Director of Naval Operations, Principal Director Network Centric Operations and Principal Director Naval Plans at New Delhi.
On promotion to the rank of Rear Admiral, he served as Assistant Chief of Naval Staff (Policy and Plans) at NHQ and as the Flag Officer Commanding Eastern Fleet. On promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral in Jun 2019, the Flag Officer was appointed as Commandant of the prestigious Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala, Kerala.
He was the Director General of Naval Operations from July 2020 to May 2021, a period that witnessed a high tempo of Naval Maritime Operations. He ensured that the Navy remained a 'Combat Ready, Credible, Cohesive and Future Proof Force, ready to address a host of complex security challenges despite all round severity of COVID Pandemic. Later, from Jun 21 to Feb 2023, the Flag Officer served as the Chief of Personnel.
The Admiral is a graduate of Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, where he was awarded the Thimayya Medal. He also attended Naval Higher Command Course and Naval Command College at the US Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Islands in 2007-08, where he won the prestigious Robert E Bateman International Prize.
Vice Admiral Tripathi is a recipient of Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Nausena Medal for devotion to duty. He is also a keen sportsman and avidly follows tennis, badminton, and cricket. The Flag Officer is a keen student of international relations, military history and art & science of leadership.
He is married to Mrs Shashi Tripathi, an artist and homemaker. The couple has one son, a practising lawyer, who is married to Tanya, who works in the policy making domain.