Rear Admiral Tarun Sobti, VSM, assumed command of the Eastern Fleet, the Sword Arm of the Eastern Naval Command, from Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, AVSM, NM, today. The change of guard ceremony took place on 23 February 2021 at Naval Base, Visakhapatnam.
Commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1988, Rear Admiral Sobti is a specialist in Navigation and Direction. He is an alumnus of the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla; Collège Interarmées de Défense, Paris, France; and the College of Naval Warfare, Mumbai.
Over his distinguished 32-year career, he has served as Navigating Officer of INS Kirpan, commissioning Navigating Officer of INS Mysore, Direction Officer on INS Viraat, and Executive Officer of missile destroyer INS Delhi. His sea commands include the missile vessel INS Nishank, missile corvette INS Kora, and missile destroyer INS Kolkata, of which he was the commissioning Commanding Officer.
His notable staff and operational appointments include Joint Director of Staff Requirements and Joint Director of Personnel at Naval Headquarters, and Captain Work-Up at the Local Work-Up Team (East). He also served as Naval Attaché at the Embassy of India in Moscow. Prior to taking command of the Eastern Fleet, he was Deputy Commandant and Chief Instructor at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala, the Navy’s premier officer training institution.
During the past 12 months, under the command of Rear Admiral Sanjay Vatsayan, the Eastern Fleet maintained a high level of combat readiness and undertook several operational missions including Operation Samudra Setu for repatriation of Indian citizens, Mission SAGAR providing humanitarian assistance to friendly foreign countries, and the Malabar 20 exercise. His tenure also witnessed the commissioning of INS Kavaratti, the indigenously built P28-class ASW corvette. Rear Admiral Vatsayan will shortly assume the role of Deputy Commandant at the prestigious tri-services National Defence Academy in Khadakwasla, Pune.
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