Sanjay Jasjit Singh

Vice Admiral Sanjay Jasjit Singh, SYSM, PVSM, AVSM, NM is a retired flag officer in the Indian Navy. He served as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command during Operation Sindoor. He became the first Naval recipient of the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, India's highest wartime distinguished service decoration. He previously served as the 37th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff.

He is currently the Director General of the United Service Institution, New Delhi, India’s oldest think tank on defence and security.

Early life and education Singh was born in an Armed Forces family and is a third-generation officer. His father, Air Commodore Jasjit Singh, AVSM, VrC, VM was an officer in the Indian Air Force. Jasjit Singh, as a fighter pilot in No. 3 Squadron IAF, was awarded the Vir Chakra for gallantry in the Indo-Pakistani War of 1971. After retiring from the IAF, he headed the think tank Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (later Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses), from 1987 to 2001. In 2001, he founded the think tank Centre for Air Power Studies (CAPS). He served as the Director General of CAPS till his death in 2013.

Singh graduated from the National Defence Academy, Pune where he was adjudged the best naval cadet. He was awarded the Binoculars as the Best Sea Cadet as well as the Sword of Honour as a Midshipman.

Naval career Singh was commissioned into the Indian Navy on 1 July 1986. After serving in the Andamans and in Mumbai in his early years, he specialised in Navigation and Direction, topping the Long ND course in 1992. He has served as the navigation officer on most classes of ships - the Khukri-class corvette , the aircraft carrier and the Godavari-class frigate . He was also the commissioning Navigation Officer of the lead ship of her class of guided missile destroyers. After returning to India, he was appointed Joint Director of Personnel (JDOP) at naval headquarters. He was promoted to the rank of Commander in May 2001. After a three-year tenure as JDOP, he was appointed Naval attaché (NA) at the Embassy of India at Tehran, Iran. The Ambassador of India to Iran during his tenure as NA was Krishan Chander Singh. After graduating from CNW, in June 2009, he took over as the Officer-in-charge of his alma mater, the Navigation Direction School. After a year-long tenure as FOST, Singh assumed the office of the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet on 22 March 2019. For his command of the Western Fleet, Singh was awarded the Ati Vishisht Seva Medal on 26 January 2020.

On 18 February 2020, Singh took over as the fourth Commandant of his alma mater, the Naval War College, Goa. After a one year stint, he was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral and appointed Controller of Personnel Services (CPS) at Naval HQ. In August 2021, he was appointed Deputy Chief of Integrated Defence Staff (Operations) at HQ Integrated Defence Staff (IDS).

On 1 April 2023, he was appointed the 37th Vice Chief of the Naval Staff. He had a short term as VCNS. He was appointed as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Western Naval Command (FOCinC WNC) on 5 December 2023. He assumed the post on 4 January 2024 succeeding Vice Admiral Dinesh K Tripathi who replaced him as the Vice Chief of Naval Staff. During his tenure as FOCinC, the Western Naval Command was involved heavily in the anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, Operation Sankalp. He also led the command during Operation Sindoor, for which he was awarded the Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medal, the first naval recipient, on 15 August 2025.

Post-retirement On 1 January 2026, Singh took over as the Director General of the United Service Institution (USI). Founded in 1870 by Sir Charles MacGregor, USI is India’s oldest think tank on defence and security.

Personal life Singh is married to Zarine Lord Singh, a former fashion model. The couple has a daughter, Payal, and a son, Samar.