Krishna Swaminathan
Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, VSM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF).[1] Before taking this appointment up, he served as the Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) at Kochi. He previously served as the second Commanding Officer of the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya.[2]
Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Bangalore, Karnataka, India |
| Allegiance |  |
| Service/ |  |
| Years of service | 1987 - present |
| Rank | _OF-7.svg.png){kind=small}  |
| Commands held | Western Fleet INS Vikramaditya (R33) INS Mysore (D60) INS Kulish (P63) INS Vinash (K47) INS Vidyut (K48) |
| Awards |  |
Early Life & Education
Krishna was born to D Swaminathan and Shanta Swaminathan, both teachers, in Bangalore. The Swaminathans resided in NR Colony in Basavanagudi. He attended the Bishop Cotton Boys' School until the age of 11. He then attended the Sainik School, Bijapur.[3] He then joined and graduated from the National Defence Academy, Pune.
Naval Career
Swaminathan was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1987. He is a specialist in Communication and Electronic Warfare. He has completed the staff course at the Joint Services Command and Staff College, Shrivenham in the United Kingdom and the higher command course at the College of Naval Warfare in Mumbai. He has also attended the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island in the United States.
Swaminathan has commanded five front-line ships of the Indian Navy. He has commanded the Veer-class corvettes - INS Vidyut (K48) and INS Vinash (K47), the Kora-class guided-missile corvette INS Kulish (P63) and the Guided missile destroyer INS Mysore (D60).
On 2 November 2015, he took command of the flagship of the Indian Navy, the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya (R33) as its second commanding officer.[4][5]
Swaminathan has served on the staff of the Western Fleet, has served as an instructor at the Defence Services Staff College, Wellington. As a Commodore, Swaminathan served as the Naval Assistant (NA) to the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Robin K. Dhowan.[6]
On promotion to Flag Rank, Swaminathan took over as the Chief Staff Officer (Training) at the Southern Naval Command, the training command of the Indian Navy. On 18 March 2019, he assumed the office of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) at Kochi. As FOST, his charter included the conduct of the operational sea training of all ships of the Indian Navy and the Indian Coast Guard.[7]
Swaminathan took command of the Western Fleet on 14 February 2020 as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet.[8]
References
- "Rear Admiral Krishna D Swaminathan, VSM Assumes Charge as Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, Mumbai". indiannavy.nic.in.
- "Captain Krishna Swaminathan takes over Command of Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya". pib.gov.in.
- Rao R., Sunitha. "B'luru boy followed dreams to head INS Vikramaditya". The Times of India.
- "Captain Krishna Swaminathan takes over Command of Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya". pib.gov.in.
- Desk, OneIndia Defence (2 November 2015). "Bengalurian takes over as Commanding Officer of INS Vikramaditya". oneindia.com.
- "Captain Krishna Swaminathan takes over Command of Aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya". pib.gov.in.
- "Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan, VSM assumes Charge as Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST)". pib.gov.in.
- "Bangalorean Navy officer to take over as Fleet Commander of Western Fleet". Deccan Herald. 14 February 2020.
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Sanjay Jasjit Singh |
Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet 2020 - present |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Preceded by Suraj Berry |
Commanding Officer, INS Vikramaditya 2015 - 2017 |
Succeeded by Ajay Kochchar |