Vijay Shankar Vijay Shankar ( born September 30 , 1949 ) is a retired Indian Navy Vice Admiral who served as the Commander - in - Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command ( ANC ) and as the Commander - in - Chief of the Strategic Forces Command ( SFC ) of the Indian Armed Forces . His prior commands included that as the Flag Officer Commanding , Western Fleet ( FOCWF ) . He also served as the Commanding Officer of , , and . Vice Admiral Shankar retired on September 30 , 2009 . Since then he has held the Admiral Katari Chair at the United Services Institution . Early life . Vijay Shankar ' s was born on September 30 , 1949 in Bangalore , India . His father was an officer in the Royal Indian Air Force , and later in the Indian Air Force . He did his early education in India as well as the United Kingdom . Services career . Vijay Shankar graduated from the 34th course of the National Defence Academy . He was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 January 1970 . A specialist in Navigation and Direction , he holds a Master of Science degee in Defence Studies . He is a graduate of the Defence Services Staff College in Wellington , the Naval Higher Command Course from the College of Naval Warfare , Karanja and the Naval War College , United States . His staff appointments included those as Deputy Director of Combat Policy and Tactics , Naval Headquarters ; Chief Instructor at the Navigation and Direction School , Kochi , as Director of the School of Maritime Warfare and Tactics , Kochi , as Senior Instructor at the Defence Services Staff College and Director of Staff Requirements at Naval Headquarters . He was promoted to Rear Admiral in April 1999 and appointed as the Chief of Staff , Southern Naval Command . Next , he served as the Assistant Controller , Aircraft Carrier Projects at Naval Headquarters ( NHQ ) . He also served as the Flag Officer Commanding , Western Fleet ( FOCWF ) . He was promoted to Vice Admiral in November 2005 , and was appointed Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff ( Operations ) . He then led Doctrine Organization and Training , Integrated Defence Staff ( IDS ) at Defence Headquarters ( DHQ ) . Vice Admiral Shankar has had the distinction of commanding both the joint - services commands of the Indian Armed Forces . He took over as the Commander in Chief of the Strategic Forces Command ( SFC ) in December 2006 . He became the Commander in Chief of the Andaman and Nicobar Command ( ANC ) in September 2008 . His assignments at sea included specialist tenures of several fleet units between 1970 and 1983 . He was a part of the commissioning crews of in Poland and of in the erstwhile Soviet Union . He has served as the Fleet Operations Officer , Western Fleet . He was appointed the Commanding Officer of in 1973 , INS Himgiri in 1987 , INS Ganga in 1993 and INS Viraat in 1995 . He took command of the " Sword Arm " of the Indian Navy as the Flag Officer Commanding , Western Fleet ( FOCWF ) in January 2003 . His operational experience included active service during the Indo - Pakistani War of 1971 . He commanded INS Himgiri during its deployment as part of Operation Pawan . He served as the Chief of Staff , Southern Naval Command during Operation Vijay ( 1999 ) . Later career . Vice Admiral Shankar lives in the Nilgiris area . He is a lecturer at Defence Services Staff College , Higher Command College and the National Maritime Foundation . He holds the Admiral Katari Chair at the United Service Institution . He is a recognized expert on nuclear security issues in the Indian Subcontinent .