At a time when the tension with China and Pakistan is increasing and the two-front war preparation is growing, the Indian Navy has appointed a new Chief of Staff (COS) at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) of the Indian Navy. The ENC plays an extremely crucial role when it comes to dealing with Chinese Navy in maritime domain. Vice Admiral Biswajit Dasgupta assumed the charge as COS-ENC headquartered in Visakhapatnam on Friday. Vice Admiral SN Ghormade, the outgoing COS, has proceeded on transfer as Controller Personnel Services at Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) in New Delhi.
This appointment and officer will be monitored very closely by China as it’s the second senior-most officer in the ENC after ENC chief. So far the tension with Pakistan and China has been primarily in the land and air domain but if it increases further it may not take much time before it spills over in the maritime domain. Since China has been extremely active and vocal about the maritime domain on the basis of its hypothetical seven dots theory, the Indian Navy’s ENC is most imp branch of Indian military that tackles Chinese Navy in the South China Sea.
NAVY’S NEW COS-ENC
Biswajit Dasgupta is an alumnus of National Defence Academy. He was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 1985 and is a specialist in Navigation and Direction. He has commanded four frontline ships including the missile corvettes INS Nishank, INS Karmuk, stealth frigate INS Tabar and the aircraft carrier INS Viraat. He has held other operational, training and staff appointments such as Commander Work Up at Headquarters at Indian Naval Work up Team (Kochi), Directing Staff at the Defence Services Staff College (Wellington), Officer-inCharge of the Navy’s Navigation and Direction School, Naval Assistant to the Chief of the Naval Staff and Fleet Operations Officer of the Western Fleet.
On promotion to Flag Rank, he was appointed as Chief Staff Officer (Operations) at Headquarters, Western Naval Command at Mumbai. During 2017-18, he held command of the prestigious Eastern Fleet at Visakhapatnam and was thereafter appointed as Additional Director General at NCC Headquarters, New Delhi. On promotion to the rank of Vice Admiral and prior to his return to Visakhapatnam as the Chief of Staff, Eastern Naval Command, he was the Controller Personnel Services at Integrated Headquarters, Ministry of Defence (Navy) at New Delhi. VAdm Biswajit Dasgupta is a graduate of Defence Services Command and Staff College, Bangladesh, Army War College, Mhow and National Defence College, New Delhi.
Dasgupta is a recipient of the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal and Vishisht Seva Medal for distinguished service. He was also awarded the Yudh Seva Medal for coordinating evacuation operations from strife-torn Yemen in 2015 under Operation Raahat.