Vice Admiral Sureesh Mehta, PVSM AVSM assumed
command of the premier Eastern Naval Command of the
Indian Navy on 30 Sep 05.
Vice Admiral Sureesh Mehta takes over the command of
Eastern Naval Command after a hectic five-year stint
in Delhi, during which he has held various
appointments. During his tenure as the Assistant
Controller Carrier Projects, he was responsible for
commencement of aircraft-carrier acquisition
programmes, covering both the Gorshkov as also the
indigenously constructed aircraft carrier, intended to
facilitate the Blue Water operations of the Indian
Navy of the 21st century. The Flag Officer has also
been widely associated with the personnel policies of
the Navy, having held the appointments of Assistant
Chief of Personnel (Human Resources Development),
Controller Personnel Services and Chief of Personnel
at Naval Headquarters
In his last assignment as the Deputy Chief of Naval
Staff, the Flag Officer was instrumental in
marshalling the resources of the entire Navy in
providing immediate relief in Tsunami-struck areas
both within the country and in our immediate
neighborhood. The prompt response by the Indian Navy,
and the leadership provided has won admiration the
world over. During the course of his tenure as the
Director General Coast Guard between Jan 2003 till Aug
04, he was guided with the vision of establishing a
strong, vibrant and visible Indian Coast Guard with
linkages the world over to establish common operating
doctrines for tackling incidents at sea. He pursued a
vigorous growth for the Coast Guard Fleet and
organization, aided by active modernization
programmes.
The Admiral was born on 18 Aug 1947. He is an
alumnus of the National Defence Academy and was
commissioned in the Indian Navy in July 1967. Shortly
thereafter, he joined the Fleet Air Arm and
extensively flew Sea Hawk aircraft from the carrier,
INS Vikrant. The Admiral was awarded the 'Ati
Vishist Seva Medal' in 1995 and 'Param Vishist Seva
Medal' in 2005 for his exceptional meritorious
services.
The coming days would see the presence of a large
Russian Fleet in the Bay of Bengal exercising with our
naval ships, and these exercises would be witnessed by
the Defence Ministers of the two sides. And early
next year, HE the President of India, would review the
Fleet off Visakhapatnam, an event that would be
conducted for the first time on the Eastern seaboard.
VG/AK
(Release ID :12457)