Sunil Lanba

Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba PVSM, AVSM
Official Indian Navy portrait of Vice Adm. Lanba.
Born	17 July 1957
Allegiance	India
Service/branch	Indian Navy
Years of service	1 January 1978–present
Rank	Vice Admiral
Commands held	FOC-in-C Western Naval Command FOC-in-C Southern Naval Command Vice Chief of Naval Staff Commandant of National Defence College Chief of Staff Headquarters Eastern Naval Command Chief of Staff, Southern Naval Command Flag Officer Commanding Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area
Awards	Param Vishisht Seva Medal Ati Vishist Seva Medal
Spouse(s)	Reena Lanba
Relations	2 daughters and 1 son

Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba, PVSM, AVSM, (born 11 July 1957) is the former Vice Chief of Naval Staff of the Indian Navy, held the office from 2 June 2014 to 30 Mar 2015.^[1] He is the current FOC-in-C of Western Command of Indian Navy.^[2] He has previously served FOC-in-C of Southern Command and as the Commandant of the National Defence College, New Delhi between November 2012 and June 2014.^[3] He has been appointed as the next Chief of the Naval Staff from May 31 2016, once current head R.K. Dhowan superannuates from service.^[4]

Personal life and education

Lanba was born on 17 July 1957.^[5] Sunil Lanba had his school education from the Mayo College in Ajmer, Rajasthan. He is an alumnus of the National Defense Academy (NDA), Defense Services Staff College, Royal College of Defense Studies and also has a PG in Defense and Management studies. He is married to Reena Lanba and they have 2 daughters and a son.^[1][6]

Military career

National Defense College Commandant Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba gives U.S. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond T. Odierno a tour of the college's archive display

Lanba was commissioned into the Indian Navy as an officer on 1 January 1978 into the Executive Branch of Indian Navy^[5] as a Navigation and Direction specialist. He served as a navigation officer on board INS Sindhudurg (K72) and INS Dunagiri (F36) before serving as the Commanding Officer (CO) of various ships: minesweeper INS Kakinada, frigate INS Himgiri (F34), INS Ranvijay (D55) and INS Mumbai (D62).^[1] He also served as Executive Officer of aircraft carrier INS Viraat (R22).^[5]

He later served as the Chief of Staff of the Southern Naval Command and then as the Flag Officer of the Sea Training and of the Maharashtra and Gujarat Naval Area. After attaining the rank of Vice Admiral, he served as the Chief of Staff of the Eastern Naval Command and later as the Commandant of the National Defense College until his appointment as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. He has also served as the Fleet Operations officer of the Western Fleet based in Mumbai. Lanba served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief (FOC-in-C) of the Southern Naval Command before assuming his charge as FOC-in-C Western Naval Command on 31 January 2016,^[2] succeeding Vice Admiral SPS Cheema.^[1]

On 5 May 2016, the Union Government announced that Lanba would take charge as the Chief of the Naval Staff with effect from the afternoon of 31 May 2016, replacing Admiral Robin K. Dhowan who retired the same day.^[5][3]

Awards

Param Vishisht Seva Medal

Ati Vishisht Seva Medal

References

1. "Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba takes over as VCNS". Indian Navy. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
2. "Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba Takes Over Western Naval Command". PIB. Govt. of India. Retrieved 3 February 2016.
3. "Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba appointed new Navy vice-chief". The Times of India. 31 May 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2014.
4. "Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba is next Chief of Naval Staff". ABP Live. 5 May 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
5. "Vice Admiral Sunil Lanba will be the next Chief of the Naval Staff | Indian Navy". www.indiannavy.nic.in. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
6. N C Bipindra (4 May 2014). "Shadow of Operational Inexperience Dogs the Top Navy Appointments". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 20 December 2014.