Ajay Kochhar
Ajay Kochhar, PVSM, AVSM, NM is a serving Flag officer in the Indian Navy. He currently serves as the Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command. His flag appointments include Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command, Commandant of the National Defence Academy and Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet.
He was the third commanding officer of the aircraft carrier and the commissioning commanding officer of the Talwar-class frigate.
Naval career
Kochhar was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1988. He is a specialist in Gunnery and Missile Warfare. He has commanded five warships of the Indian Navy. On 29 June 2013, as the commissioning commanding officer of the Talwar-class stealth guided missile frigate, he commissioned the ship in Kaliningrad, Russia. On 20 July 2017, Kochhar took command of the flagship of the Indian Navy, the aircraft carrier as its third commanding officer.Flag rank
On promotion to Flag rank, Kochhar took over as the Assistant Controller Carrier Project at Naval headquarters. He then served as the Assistant Controller Warship Production & Acquisition. As the ACCP, he managed the construction of the indigenous aircraft carrier. In his role as ACWP&A, he oversaw all aspects related to construction and acquisition of warships for the Navy both from Indian as well as foreign shipyards.Kochhar took over as the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet on 24 February 2021 from Rear Admiral Krishna Swaminathan. He was in command of the Western Fleet till 27 December 2021. He handed over command to Rear Admiral Sameer Saxena and was appointed Project Director of the Advanced Technology Vessel Project. For his command of the Western fleet, he was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2022.
After a short stint at ATVP HQ, Kochhar was promoted to rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Commandant of the National Defence Academy. On 1 April 2022, he took over from Air Marshal Sanjeev Kapoor. After a two-year stint, he assumed the charge as the Chief of Staff, Western Naval Command on 25 May 2024 succeeding Vice Admiral Sanjay Bhalla. On 1 October 2025, he took over as the Commander-in-Chief, Andaman and Nicobar Command from Lieutenant General Dinesh Singh Rana who moved as Commander-in-Chief, Strategic Forces Command. He was awarded the Param Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2026.