In a first, landlocked Arunachal officer to command frontline naval warship
NEW DELHI: Commander Ronie Chowpoo from Arunachal Pradesh’s Namsai district has become the first officer from the state to command a frontline Indian naval warship in the Eastern Fleet, an official statement said on Saturday.
His appointment marks an important milestone and serves as an inspiration to the youth of Arunachal Pradesh, the Navy’s statement said.
Commander Chowpoo, a first-generation Naval officer, was commissioned into the executive branch of the Navy in 2008. “A specialist in communication and electronic warfare, he has served on various frontline warships, including guided missile destroyers and frigates,” the statement said. Over the course of his distinguished career, he has held key operational and staff appointments at Navy headquarters, fleet headquarters, and other strategic institutions, it added.
An alumnus of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC), Dehradun, and the prestigious National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla, Commander Chowpoo’s professional journey reflects determination and excellence. RIMC grooms youth from across the country to join the armed forces as officers.
The Indian Navy has been organising outreach programmes to induct youth from across the country and Commander Chowpoo was also part of the outreach programme in the northeast. This newspaper reported earlier that a similar outreach exercise was conducted in the northeastern states in December 2022.
During that programme, Navy personnel visited schools and conducted a 3,500-km-long motorcycle expedition. The events conducted in Ladakh as part of the Navy’s outreach programme included a public band performance by the Naval band, a football match between the Navy and the Ladakh UT teams, bike and car expeditions, and visits to various schools.
“Chowpoo’s rise from the ‘Land of the Rising Sun’ to commanding a warship in the Indian Navy’s Eastern Fleet, also called the ‘Sunrise Fleet’, underscores a powerful story of perseverance and commitment,” the Navy’s statement said. Congratulations have poured in for Commander Chowpoo and his family on this landmark accomplishment.
The Eastern Fleet was born on November 1, 1971 as war seemed imminent and clouds of conflict hovered over the subcontinent. The Fleet played a decisive role in the maritime domain holding sway in the Bay of Bengal and strangulating then East Pakistan from the sea, contributing to the the surrender in Dacca and the capture of more than 90,000 prisoners of war.