BIOGRAPHY

Vice Admiral Sinha whose decorations include PVSM AVSM NM& BAR, and honorary ADC to the President, is at present Chief of the Integrated Defence Staff (IDS), an assignment he assumed in July 2011. He will move from New Delhi to Mumbai, the headquarters of the WNC, and assume the new command on August 31. Farewell parties are already on for both him and Vice Admiral Joshi. Vice Admiral Sinha is deeply interested in strategic affairs, and has been a regular at the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), the country's premier think tank. Commissioned into the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy as a fighter pilot on 1 June 1974,he is the senior-most naval aviator at present.He is an alumnus of the Defence Services Staff College, College of Naval Warfare and the National Defence College. He was born 10 August 1954. In the Flag rank, Admiral Sinha has held a wide array of appointments such as Flag Officer Naval Aviation (FONA), Assistant Chief of Naval Staff Air (ACNS - Air), the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet (FOCWF) and Controller Personnel Services (CPS) With over 2,700 hours of flying on various types of aircraft, mostly from on board India's aircraft carriers INS Vikrant and INS Viraat on Sea Harrier planes, he has commanded two Sea Harrier Squadrons and the Goa naval air station, where naval combat jets and other aircraft are based. Adm Sinha also commanded the Indian Coast Guard ship ICGS Ranijindan during Operation Pawan, Indian Navy ships INS Saryu, INS Shakti and guided missile destroyer INS Delhi. He was the fleet operations officer of the Western Fleet during Operation Parakram in 2001-02 and later commanded the sword arm of the navy, the Western Fleet. He is currently serving as a Member of the Governing Council, PPF