ADMIRAL V.S. SHEKHAWAT

PVSM, AVSM, VrC, ADC, CNS

Admiral Vijay Singh Shekhawat was chief of the naval staff from 30 September 1993 to 30 September 1996.

Considered an excellent boxer in school, Admiral Shekhawat passed out of ‘Cottons’ in the late 1940s and went on to join the Joint Services Wing of the National Defence Academy (NDA). He was awarded the president’s gold medal for the best all-round cadet in December 1953. Commissioned in 1956, Admiral Shekhawat held various assignments in fleet ship before leaving for UK in 1959 as the second gunnery officer on INS Talwar and returning as the navigating officer. He received submarine training in the UK (1963-64) and the USSR (1966-67), and was the director of the submarine arm of the navy from 1975 to 1977. He commissioned two submarines—INS Kalvari (1967) and INS Karanj (1969)—in the Baltic Sea and sailed them through the Atlantic Ocean to India. Admiral Shekhawat has been the executive and commanding officer of several submarines, the submarine base, and the 8 Submarine Squadron at Vizag. Admiral Shekhawat attended the US Naval War College in New Port in the USA in 1977-78 and later commanded INS Himgiri in 1981-82. He also served as the chief instructor at the NDA from 1979 to 1981. Admiral Shekhawat played a stellar role during the Indo-Pak War in 1971 and was honoured with the Vir Chakra for his gallantry. Admiral Shekhawat was also bestowed the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal (AVSM) and the Param Vishisht Seva Medal (PVSM) for exceptional service in 1984 and 1991 respectively. Admiral Shekhawat served as the assistant chief of naval staff (operations) and commanded the prestigious Western Fleet, considered the strike force of the Indian Navy, during 1986-87. He was promoted as vice admiral in August 1988 and was director general of the tri-service Defence Planning Staff. Admiral Shekhawat was flag officer commanding-in-chief of the Eastern Naval Command from December 1990 to October 1992 and was the vice chief of the naval staff from November 1992 to September 1993. He attained the pinnacle of his career when he was appointed chief of the naval staff (CNS) on 30 September 1993. He retired as CNS on 30 September 1996. After retirement, Admiral Vijay Singh Shekhawat has served on the National Advisory Board (appointed by the Prime Minister’s Office) along with former service chiefs General (Retd.) S.F. Rodrigues and Air Chief Marshal (Retd.) S.K. Mehra. Admiral Shekhawat serves as the vice chairman of Outward Bound India, a non-profit organization dedicated to adventure sports, which has been set up under the patronage of Sir Edmund Hillary and has its south India chapter on a twelve-acre property on the old Mahabalipuram Road, close to Chennai.