Vice Admiral Nirmal Verma, who will take over as Chief of Naval Staff on August 31, said that the Indian Navy will emerge as the best fighting force in the world when everyone in the force performed his/her duty to the best of their ability.
He was addressing the ceremonial parade where Vice Admiral Anup Singh took over from him as the Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) at the Naval Base here on Thursday.
Vice Admiral Verma said that there was no need for a person to be in a senior position to contribute towards strengthening the force. "You can do your bit to the force in whatever position you are either as a sailor or as an officer. I had started off my career as a cadet midshipman," he said.
He recalled the role played by the operational ships and platforms of the ENC during joint exercises with foreign Navies and during deployments abroad. He felt that the keen enthusiasm shown by the Navies of advanced countries in participating in joint exercises with the Indian Navy was an indication of its growing strength.
Fond farewell
Vice Admiral Verma was given a fond farewell by the officers and men of ENC. A specialist in Communications and Electronic Warfare, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy on July 1, 1970 and since than he held various Staff, Operational and Command appointments. He is a graduate of the Royal Naval Staff College, Greenwich, U.K. He also graduated from the U.S. Naval War College.
The new ENC Chief Vice Admiral Anup Singh inspected the ceremonial guard and reviewed platoons of Naval personnel drawn from ships and establishments of ENC. The parade, consisting of 24 platoons, was commanded by Commander Ninad Deshpande. The President’s Colours were also presented during the parade, which was attended by the Navy’s top brass.
